Good news..changes to maintenance payments and Income Support

[onadietcokebreak]

Good news for anyone who is not entitled to Income Support because maintenance payments exceed the amount payable.

From April 2010 maintenance payments are fully disregarded when assessing Income Support claims. It has already been disregarded when assessing Housing benefit claims from October 08.

If anyone has previously claimed and been turned down it may be worthwhile making a claim again in April.

Hope that helps some people.

I also stand by the fact that these policies make it incredibly difficult for people to break out of the cycle of benefits.

I have absolutely no problem understanding why a woman wouldn't want to stay with her kids and claim benefits rather than work all hours god sends to pay for childcare and end up with a million headaches when they are ill / she is ill.

But, it's wrong that it exists - that it's actually more cost effective to stay at home.

it's like that health in pregnancy grant.

just hand out £190 to every pregnant woman whether they need it or not.

i mean, who thinks up these policies?

As someone who as worked in welfare benefits for over a decade I think this is a step forward. Very few people enjoy being on benefits and the type of people who are receiveing hundreds in maintenance and had lavish lifestyles are unlikely to want to claim anyway. If this helps the majority above the breadline I think its a good thing.

Otherwise take maintenance off CTC and affect every single parent receiving maintenance and stop penalising those on Income Support

What is the alternative though, we leave it as it is and some of the most vunerable who are lucky enough to get a tiny amount of maintenance, don't get any other help and live in poverty.

It's a problem that has no easy solution and will always upset someone.

I speak as a full time Uni student with 3 DC's who isn't entitled to any benefits apart from during the summer holidays.

Onadietcokebreak - I disagree.

I think an Ex who is out to prove a point will take as much maintanence as possible and STILL claim, as it somehow validates the claim that the ex (father) does nothing. As I said, it's a topic close to my heart and I KNOW it DOES happen.

The alternative is that parents take responsibility for thier kids.

One thing I'd do: end to this stupid rule that self employed people can give laughable figures to get around payments.
Second thing: Stop blanket payments (like the £190 to every PG person)
Third thing: Reward positive action... University training, community support, volunteering... whatever it is. there are loads of things that need to happen in our communities.

We should not have to wait for the politicians to tell us what those things are.

Harimosmummy of course there will be some that wish to claim but many wont. However why should the few that receive a small amount be penalised by those that receive alot.

For example a single mother whose claim is nilled because of maintenance doesnt get automatic entitlement to free prescriptions, dental wtc which can be a real problem when you are on a low income.

Also the cost of administering changes to maintenance on claims will be reduced to ZERO. Saving the tax paying money.

Those lone parents whose money is being reduced because of maintenance are also less likely to take up part time work as their claim would probably end...they wouldnt need to do many hours before this happened...therefore keeping them out of the labour market for a longer time and make a return to full time work less successful

Also this claim has been on the cards since 2008. Yet I cant find a single opinion from the conservatives about it.

Just to point out that I still qualify for free prescriptions and dental treatment which we need but I'm just on the borderline and will say I would struggle to pay for these things even though I work hard.

this is probably the best news i've heard in ages
as things stand i do not receive IS or JSA or anything from the state which will enable me to get back into work or to retrain
my maintainence from my exh basically keeps a roof over our heads i.e myself and my three young children
as you can imagine CTC and CB isn't a huge amount to live on
despite the supposed commitment in the workplace to be more family friendly the reality is it's bloody impossible to find work that will fit in with school hours
it's even harder when there isn't the facility of breakfast clubs or after school clubs or other regular care for the children
agreed there probably will be those who receive it when they don't really need it like other benefits mentioned previously
but for the vast majority of us this little bit extra will make a huge,huge difference

Glad it will help you aseriouslyblondemoment reclaim from early April 2010. Income Support if youngest is less than 9...JSA if older

thanks so much for this onadietcokebreak i certainly will
let's hope other's like me hear about this and are able to claim to

also have to add how i was by some of the comments on here
obv.despite the goodwill and support that the vast majority of MN-ers have for each other some of us still view lone mums as vicki pollard clones

couldnt agree more!

I think it is a seriously bad idea too! That comes from me currently a lone parent on I/S. I have been on benefits for 3 mnths and although I have a new job to start in 2 weeks time, it hasn't been that bad. We still eat nice food, had money for the odd takeaway, had a reasonable Christmas etc and I have had the odd nights out etc. With tax credits I/S and C/B I could get along quite nicely if I needed to, so why can't others? Of course if there is another parent they should pay for the upkeep of the kids via maintenance, but then the resident parent is not a lone parent financially so does not need to be claiming I/S. My dd's father dies last year, but if I were also getting maintenance ONTOP of what I get now then I'd have a lovely comfortable lifestyle and no incentive to get back to work. Benefits are there to help those who are desperate and need a temporary helping hand. Not to top up the maintenance / ctc that a single parent receives. If that couple were living together then they would not be financially eligible for I/S, so why should they when they share their childs costs but are living apart.

As it happens I work because I like to pay my own way and with only 1 dd I am able to work, so therefore I do. Many do not think this way and see I/S + maintenance = lifetime of living nicely at the taxpayers expense.

Aseriouslyblondemonet - Yes it is hard to find work that fits in perfectly with school hours. So do what everyone else has to - sort out juggling the kids between before or after school care, ask friends/parents to do school runs, help out in holiday/ book kids into after school clubs, arrange ex-p to have kids whilst working etc. CTC pay 80% of childcare costs too. Of course it's hard, it is hard to work when you have kids, but it's usually possible.

hando i'm sorry to hear of your loss.
however,i don't think that you actually appreciate what i was trying to say or indeed the reality of my predicament
i have been out of work for over a year and despite my best efforts i cannot find work which will accomodate the needs of my children
when i mention children i mean 3 children to be precise
and as i mentioned there is not pre or after school care clubs at the school they attend nor is having friends help out an option unless they have a people carrier to transport them back as it's a rural area
exh as i say does pay maintainence(which thank god covers the mortgage) but won't offer help to allow me to go out to work
so please tell me where this leaves me?
why not try bringing up 3 kids on CB and CTC and also factoring in fuel and utilities i think the reality of it would shock you!
so please don't tar me with the stereotypical scrounging single mother brush as i think i'm more than entitled to some help from a tax system which until a year ago i was paying into

Bad idea. For a few this would be helpful, but why do they disregard maintenance in the first place. It all adds up as income.

Just ensure that parents pay maintenance instead of shirking their duties and expecting others to provide.

I did mean to tar you with any brush there - aseriouslyblondemoment. But of course your situation is not the norm. Most people do have access to childcare and don't live in total rural areas. I am referring to your situation as an example as you have gone into detail, however this is not a personal attack, just my opinions in general put into a relative example.

Of course not many jobs totally accomodate the needs of our children. I would much rather not have to leave my dd with Childminder, but I have to. Our after school club isn't at our school it's at a nearby one, the holiday club is in the next town, so I will have to travel there before going to work during the summer holidays. All inconvenient and a pain in the arse, but many have to do it. Also, I understand you are rural, but surely there are childminders still - they often offer school pick up and drop off.

I am currently on benefits, after redundancy a few months ago, but I'm due to start my job next week. I get no child maintenance so have been coping with I/S, CB and CTC for 3 months. Of course I only have 1 daughter, but more kids equates to more CB etc, so it's all relative. We have done just fine, not luxurious but not living in poverty by any means.

You mention having a car and owning your own house. These are things many single parents, and indeed many working couples cannot manage to have. So I would say you are not doing that badly not working.

Perhaps if you are really in such a rural area then you may need to move to have access to closer amenities, childcare and jobs? I know I could not work if I lived in a rural area, especially as I cannot afford to run a car, and probably won't be able to when I'm working either. Just a suggestion.

I still think that parents who are jointly financially resposible for their children (either living together or living apart and paying maintenance) should not be entitled to benefits such as I/S.

LOTS if absent fathers do not dodge the csa EITHER actually and it is usually these Fathers who get shat on from a great height (and their subsequent children who you will all argue they should not have had even if their first wives left THEM because they already had children and why should it matter even in the slightest if their first wiofehad moved on and had more children with someone else, they should tie their fucking dick up and never sleep with anyone else again ever)

It's a shame that people have to be so judgmental.

I don't get IS, I do get CTC and WTC and like eve am just on the line. I don't drive and I work 30 hours a week. Oh, and I don't get maintenance from my XP (who actually left a very well paying job so that he didn't have to pay me anything).

I have a good friend who survives on IS and gets some (not many) tax credits. I can say with a degree of certainty that she definitely doesn't have a great lifestyle. She is supposed to get some money off her XH via the CSA but she has had endless problems with them.

It's easy to say up and move - much less easy to do. Especially when you have DC, no childcare and no income. What about the children being settled at school? Cost of moving house? Local support?

BTW I'd love to meet all these women who are demanding and getting huge amounts of maintenance over and above what the CSA says they should off their exes. Maybe they could give me some tips?

What on earth are you on about Angry? That makes no sense whatsoever.

no, i didnt get that post buy Angry either!

by not buy

I didnt realise what a hornets nest I had stirred up.

Short term being on I.S isnt too bad as it is met to meet your basic needs.

Anything other 6mths things get tricker eg. Household items start to go wrong, shifting money from one pot to another starts to have no effect...people can take out a budgeting loan to solve the initial problem but that only means less money each week.

In most rural areas the cost of running a small car outweighs the cost of public transport particulary when there are several people in household.

aseriouslyblondemoment when you made a claim did you get advised to reclaim in the future for help with mortgage help?

"Perhaps if you are really in such a rural area then you may need to move to have access to closer amenities, childcare and jobs? I know I could not work if I lived in a rural area, especially as I cannot afford to run a car, and probably won't be able to when I'm working either. Just a suggestion."

Had to add my thoughts on this suggestion

Moving is often very difficult when on benefits. Finding the rent in advance and deposit is very hard. Finding a landlord who will accept Housing benefit is tricky. Agencies are pretty much ruled out as most dont like HB or household income unlikely to meet the required threshold.

Those who are owner-occupiers are even less likely to be able to move. Once on I.S its is almost impossible to increase/change mortagage. Let alone afford the estate agents/colictors fees.