Income support

asbestos2008

My husband is a NRP and has paid maintenance regularly since he split with his ex wife.

In April our company closed down and we are in the process of going bankrupt. I claim Income support due to having a disabled child as the JC said that was the most stable route for us, while we pick ourselves back up.

However the CSA want £5 per week as they say the income support is in joint names. The JC has said that even if it is a joint claim, the IS is unlike JSA in the fact that DH gets no Nat Ins credits and he is classed as a dependant.

Who is right?

We are not choosing to pay maintenance - we cant, we struggle to find £60 a month for fuel for 1 weekend visit. We would like to have him more often but anymore fuel costs would mean that we would have nothing left for food.

ann1971

If he is named in your income support claim £5 is payable as claim is classed as a joint claim

asbestos2008

my award letter doesnt name him, however i gave his name and NI no when I made the claim. I dont recieve the full amount of IS as my carers allowance is deducted from the total.

ann1971

If he is not named in your claim does this mean he has no income of any sort and is not claiming benefits in his own right?

asbestos2008

NO we both went to the job centre when his company went bust and that is how the Job centre said it would be best.
He gets nothing, everything is now in my name due to the IS being in my name.

I get £77 per week as they deduct my £50 a week carers allowance. On the award letter it does say For you and your partner to live on ...£ minus Carers allowance, we will pay you £77.

Never claimed IS or JSA before so relied on advice given to us

ann1971

From the sound of that you are claiming for him therefore he will have to pay £5 per week unless there was any over night care of the child/ren and amount would be nil

asbestos2008

We now how him 2 nights a month plus school holidays. Surprisingly when the CSA first assessed the case and she saw how it reduced the claim all overnight visits were stopped we used to have to pick him up daily.

Will they not take the costs in collecting him and dropping him home as it is a 440 mile trip which takes £60 fuel, we only have a old banger due to bankruptcy?

ann1971

As you have no shared care allowance there is a possibilty you could apply for a variation for contact costs (think thats what its called) but I dont know how that goes with minimum assessment amount which is what your on. Someone else may be able to tell you or if you have patience trawl previous posts as there may be something there. Sorry could not be of more help.