Advice from CAB- doesn't seem right?? SoA query.

Minxz

Hi all, me again!

Last week i was asking about how to fill in the SoA forms for myself and my partner, as we are both going Br , on the same day.
It appeared that we should mirror each others forms, and put all his wages on my form, and just leave the child benefit off his, and list our seperate creditors each. Then we were told to just put the things i paid for on my form, and my wages.

Then we had an email from the advisor at Cab... and now she's told us to halve my partner's income, and put that on my form, and list all the outgoings- so i will have a massive negative number1 She also said to start with i wouldn't get an Ipa, as I don't earn much, but my partner would. Now she says that as both wages go into a joint account, we should halve the wages on each form, andlist all bills on each form.. which means my partner will have an unrealistic large surplus!
Does this mean he'll end up with a large Ipa to pay??
She said that it is likely that the Or will look at the joint account, and instead of an Ipa for my partner, we'll get a Joint payment Order, where we both have to sign and make payments together, same as an Ipa, but for both of us- even though i earn small part time wages.

This has confused me no end.. so has anyone had one of these, and how did it work?
Thanks!!

Angiepange

Hi Minxz

Im sorry i cant help with your query but remembered you posting about your SOA the other week and just wanted to say im sorry you have had such a struggle to find the correct info on how to fill them in as im sure all the confusion is the last thing you need in the run up to BR!!

I dont know if you remember but my DH and I mirrored each others forms but he has wages and I only have CB and CTC in my name. We still put exactly the same figures down, his full wages and my benefits on my form and his full wages and my benefits on his form, then all outgoings the same, which still left us with no surplus.

If you were to list yours like that would you end up with a big surplus then? If you didnt and the OR queried it im sure you could explain in the interview that everything is and has always been joint. Thats what i was going to say if needed although my OR wasnt really interested in discussing our SOA, he just said our allowances were fine and he had no problem with it.

I aplolgise if ive added to your confusion but I hope someone more experienced on here can offer you help and you can get those nightmare forms filled in!! Good luck

Angie x

tigerfeet2006

If you onloy get benefits and your OH has a wage then it is perfectly OK to do it as Angie did.

Sorry I haven't seen your SoA, so I will go and have a look for it.

ET: Sorry couldn't find your SoA, but I am in a bit of a rush as we are going away this weekend.

If you both have a wage then on your form you put the joint household bills and your personal ones ie travel. Then you put your full income and your OH's CONTRIBUTION to the joint household bills. On his you do it the other way joint household bills, his personal bills. His ful wage and your contribution to the joint household bills.

Hope that makes some sense.

MicheH

I might be making things worse here but i'll tell you what we did. We put the exact same amount on each of our forms, we might have been going br as individuals but in reality we are a married coupl with a joint account.

This was never challenged throughout the process. When we had our interviews I went through our SOA with the examiner and was never challenged as to why is was a couples' SOA, infact she never questioned DH about the SOA

Now it might be that I don't earn a wage and don't contribute (i'm a housewife and mother now) which is why this was acceptible and we didn't qualify for an IPA.

I think the SOA is never set in stone with regard to your BR petition paperwork, infact I changed mine in preparation for the interview because I'd left lots of things off. I think the only time an SOA is really needed is in the OR's interview and the examiner goes through it with you anyway. I would guess that she would tell you there and then if you've incorrectly filled it out. Hope i've helped, I think i've jjust mirrored what the others said anyway.. just with lots more waffle lol

cloverfan

I have also asked for help as i think the CAB has miscalulated my council tax on my SOA. I think the CAB advisors in my local library (and in fairness around the whole country) are working under very busy circumstances and so some little mistakes are to be expected (altho we dont want them!) due to the increasing amount of pressure/work they expected to cope with.

debtinfo

It wont really make any difference how you display it as the OR will know both full incomes, they will use the IPA calculator which apportions the joint outgoings pro rata with the income, so if your husband has 90% of the income, he would pay 90% of the joint outgings, have ago at putting it in the IPA calculator remembering to put a Y if it is a joint outgoing.

Income Payments Calculator