Child Maintenance - informing Jobcentre

plim26

Need some help pls!!!

Have recently split from my partner we have a 2 1/2 year old together. I am on Income support have just agreed for him to pay £200 a month maintenance. I just wondered what the jobcentre do when you tell them? do they need to see the money as my ex gives it to me in cash so have no paper trail, do thay as for a letter from him? Just ask as things are quite tense as it is!!! do they take your word for it that? dont really want him to pay anything more as My daughter wont see it. I do know that he can give gifts up to the value of £250 does anyone know if that is a month or a year?

Caz3121

I believe you need to declare it to them so they can deduct the excess from your benefits - so if £200 per month = £46 per week they will deduct the £26 per week from your benefits - not sure what evidence they will want
sorry don't know about the gifts

tigstheterror

"Parents with care are able to keep up to £20 a week of any child maintenance paid before it affects the amount of benefit they may receive.
If the parent with care was on the old scheme, child maintenance was paid to them by Job Centre Plus as part of their benefit entitlement.
If the parent with care was on the old scheme, they would qualify to receive a Child Maintenance Bonus if they stopped claiming benefit.
The Child Maintenance Bonus scheme has now come to an end. This has been replaced by the benefit disregard of up to £20 which all parents with care are entitled to."
Taken from the CSA website, this is set to rise in 2010 to £40, there is currently a disregard if you claim Housing/Council Tax benefit,it used to have to be declared, now it isn't. However you still have to inform the benefit agency that you are in receipt of maintenance privately, you can opt for it to remain that way without CSA involvement but they still have to know how much is given and adjust benefit accordingly. Be very careful if you decide not to declare, this can come back and bite and leads to complications within the system. Hope this helps
Tigs x

Cozworth806

One wonders why anyone would arrange a CM payment for someone on IS of more than £20pw as it will not benefit the children.

Zara33

Cozworth806 wrote: »

One wonders why anyone would arrange a CM payment for someone on IS of more than £20pw as it will not benefit the children.

I suspect it benefits the state. Why should taxpayer's pay for other people kids

hamstercheeks_2

Cozworth806 wrote: »

One wonders why anyone would arrange a CM payment for someone on IS of more than £20pw as it will not benefit the children.

Some bitter PWCs like to take it off the NRP and don't care that it doesn't benefit the children, as long as it is taken off the NRP

in fact somewould give their eye teeth to see the NRP go under

Zara33

hamstercheeks wrote: »

Some bitter PWCs like to take it off the NRP and don't care that it doesn't benefit the children, as long as it is taken off the NRP

in fact somewould give their eye teeth to see the NRP go under

I really find this difficult to understand...if a PWC doesn't get money from a NRP then they are a scrounger from the state, but if they get money from the NRP they are bitter .

So what's it to be then? either way a PWC really can't seem to do the right thing.

hamstercheeks_2

Zara33 wrote: »

I really find this difficult to understand...if a PWC doesn't get money from a NRP then they are a scrounger from the state, but if they get money from the NRP they are bitter .

So what's it to be then? either way a PWC really can't seem to do the right thing.

if the PWC is on benefits they are only allowed to keep £20 of that money per week I believe

so why, when this is the case would they push the CSA to get more money from the NRP, even if they and the children are not going to benefit

kelloggs36

They probably wouldn't - only the vindicitive ones, or maybe ones who plan to go into work so they want to ensure that they can survive once their benefits stop.

LizzieS_2

hamstercheeks wrote: »

if the PWC is on benefits they are only allowed to keep £20 of that money per week I believe

so why, when this is the case would they push the CSA to get more money from the NRP, even if they and the children are not going to benefit

The OP is a private arrangement, a csa figure may well be higher.

As an aside the maintenance disregard for IS is currently £20pw - when it goes to £40 next year I cannot see many willing to double their payments to match playing the system.

Zara33

hamstercheeks wrote: »

if the PWC is on benefits they are only allowed to keep £20 of that money per week I believe

so why, when this is the case would they push the CSA to get more money from the NRP, even if they and the children are not going to benefit

I guess what i'm trying to say is that if the PWC is on benefits they might only be able to "keep" £20 of any maintenance money but where does the rest of the money come from to pay the PWC's benefits (taxpayer's and NRP'S)