this hear new IS thing with maintenance can anyone help me with it?

[SpandexIsMyEnemy]

when does it come into effect?

I currently get £49 p.w I think they worked it out as from XH for DS, do IS is £23 something odd,

currently I have the £10 per week only i'm allowed when's the £20 thing coming into effect?

27th October I believe

www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk/1/lx3x1olx10x1oex400x1oix9691x1/0/0/091008/0/0//What- is-happening-in-2008.htm

you'll get a letter next week explaining that you have to report the first paymnet of maintenance after 27th oct anything over £20 is deducted from your IS - but you can still earn (a seperate) £20 from part time work - so if you get £20 maintenance and £20 from part time work you get that extra £40 on top of your usual benefit. maintenance still doesn't affect tax credits.

oh that's intresting I idnd't realise that about working - if I was to work say 12 hours a week at 8 p.h (one week but 4 the next for say £32) would they stop my IS all together then as the money would average out as more than £44.

How does this work out with backdated maintenance payments? I havent recieved anything for 6 months and due my frst payment towards the end of Novemeber. So presumably i will have to inform them of my weekly calculation of maintenance?

i heard its changing from 27th october. csa will no longer pay you the £10 or £20 and will pay you whatever the ex pays and you are to declare it to the benefits agency.

By 2010 any csa payments will be disregarded by all.

2008 brings in disregard of csa to housing and council tax benefit from what I believe

i know i'll get the full amount of maintenace, just unsure whether my backdated pay will be taken of my IS aswell

von does that count if it's a private arrangement or just CSA, as I get more privately than I would CSA.

it's attributed forwards, so if you get 4 weeks arrears money at £20 a week, we'll take off £20 a week for the next 4 weeks, but if you get the £20 you're meant to get as well, then it'd be £40 a week for 4 weeks, then \£20 a week.

for wages, if you have a set pattern, we should take an average. - as long as you don't do over 16 hours in one week, because that would disqualify you.

I am very fortunate to have a part time, 3 hour a week job paying £21 a week, and an ex who pays maintenance. I am £160 per month better off than someone who is unfortunate enough to have neither, as of the 27th of October!

So im going to lose 6 months worth of maintenance that i am owed due to the change in systems?

or am i just being very dim

shelley, how much does he owe you in £ and how much would you normally expect to get a week in normal non arrears circumstances? you might want to apply the thumbscrews for your arrears before the 27th Oct. You may be able to argue that the arrears are for a period prior to the redesign and therefore outwith the new start date.

'gifts' are allowed - two gifts in any one year of £250 - these are discounted, but anything over that is attributed as maintenance. (chance would be a fine thing in my circumstances!!) you could feasiably argue that any arrears paid are a monetary gift for your child for last xmas/birthday. the instruction from our policy people is that child maintenance cases are to be treated gently and there should be no probing unless there is cause for real concern. You may wish to pop any arrears into a childs bank account, even if it is resting there.

but i didn't say that last bit.

he owes £788 10 weeks of that is at £49 and 7 at £42. Its been backdated to june. Normally ill get £42 as he has shared care To me i should be able to get 10 from everypayment up til 27th october but unfortunately as its a deductions from earnings order and he didnt start having it deducted til the begining of this month im not seeing anything til next month.
How do you go about applying the thumbscrew?

I think its a bit unfair for me to be penalised more with losing this if i aint gunna get it why bother` take it of my ex.

absolutely see your point - I'm off work until monday, but i'll look into it when i get back. If anything you'll(at least) be seeing £20 of it every week rather than £10.

thumbscrews unlikely to be relevant to you i'm afraid if it's a an attachment of earnings order, it's unlikely to speed up if you plead to his 'better nature'

so do we have to apply for it then, or is done automatically after the letter comes in?

I should in theory have £34 something odd instead of the £24 then?

He Wont help me out as i asked him to pay half of a joint claim of CTC overpayment which hes liable for. I know i wont get the full amount of backdated pay but really dont want to lose all of it. The way CSA said it I will get a bit extra each month. The daft thing is they've taken a fair whack of him for the past few weeks which im getting the blame ford

spandex, the letter will tell you you have to inform the DWP of the first payment of child maintenance that you receive after 27th - but the £20 disregard is applied automatically - you don't have to claim anything, but you have to inform the dwp how much maintenance you're getting.

Shelley, I will look into it for you next week, promise remind me though because I've a head like a sieve at the best of times.

child maintenance bonus is ending as well - i tried explaining this, but failed so i'll link to direct gov - this could mean a lump sum if you get a job ( I don't mean to be all 'get a job!' btw - if people were thinking of it already (and i know it's not that easy) then theres an extra incentive just now, because the child mainetenance bonus is ending in tandem with this new scheme and a lot of folk don't realise that)

so hang on - am I understanding this correctly - you can keep £20 of the maintenance from the 27th October (although all will be paid to you - IS just deduct the difference) - BUT you can still earn £20 a week??? without them deducting anymore IS??

well I never knew about that thing - i'm currently looking for work but it's unlikely before the 27th thou.

when should we expect the letters? (sorry for the barage of letters)

FAQ - yes bang on - so it's kind of like £20 maintenance and £20 part time work = £40.

letters should have started going out on the 13th - i'd give it to the end/middle of next week.

spandex, you have a little longer than 27th october - i think the directgov site said late november - so even if it's xmas work, you would still get your child miantenance bonus.

thanks - not really in position to do any work at the moment, but interesting to know for next year. I assumed that once you'd got your £20 that you were allowed to keep (regardless of where it came from) that was it.

oh v intresting then was looking for PT work anyhow - more of an incentive now.

got my letter today - money changes for me as of monday yay!