Discharged next week - but what's really changed?

blonde_babe_2

it might be money saved to pay for an annual expense...dont forget them, such as tv licence, roadtax, car insurance, home insurance, etc

tv licence would be 12 pounds a month, so by 8 months in, we would have an excess 100 sitting in account, but you can quite easily forget that in a few months it is due.

our electricity/gas was 100 a month, then we opted to switch suppliers, and our final bill came to £300 odds due to the monthly amount taking an average over the year and the year started in winter....so we need to find 300 from somewhere to pay this bill. So you never know, that wee excess might not be an excess after all.

Ineedaname

That's sort of the point I was trying to make, but not very well.

Yes, you can make savings but nothing in excess of normal living expenses or a reasonable holiday etc.

My OR's opinion appeared to be that if you can find money for other things over and above reasonable living expenses, then the allowance is too high and the surplus should go to the OR. That's where I was coming from in suggesting additional savings might not be acceptable.

Also, surely if an OR requests an up to date SOA it would ask what cash was in the house and what savings in the bank, same as on the BR forms?

alastairq

your savings are your own.

My OR's opinion appeared to be

this is the nub....INAN has interpreted what has been said by the OR.

The BR is only required to inform the OR if there is a change in financial circumstances...[ie income, overtime, reduced income, benefits only income, etc]...or a significant change in SOA...[ie increase of decrease in the number of people supported by or contributing to household...increased expenditure due to rising costs, etc....]

Remember, it's an IPA[greement]...not a punishment.

'savings ' reflect the need to place funds aside for future use, within the SOA.

dojoman

Ineedaname wrote: »

That's sort of the point I was trying to make, but not very well.

Yes, you can make savings but nothing in excess of normal living expenses or a reasonable holiday etc.

My OR's opinion appeared to be that if you can find money for other things over and above reasonable living expenses, then the allowance is too high and the surplus should go to the OR. That's where I was coming from in suggesting additional savings might not be acceptable.

Also, surely if an OR requests an up to date SOA it would ask what cash was in the house and what savings in the bank, same as on the BR forms?

Wrong, what you do with your money has nothing to do with anyone once the SOA and IPA has been agreed.

philnicandamy

dojoman wrote: »

Wrong, what you do with your money has nothing to do with anyone once the SOA and IPA has been agreed.

Correct....:D:D

Ineedaname

alastairq wrote: »

this is the nub....INAN has interpreted what has been said by the OR.

Actually not an interpretation but from a specific conversation which I didn't want to repeat online. Suffice to say that my OR specifically said that if a BR could find surplus for extra things then their allowance was too high!

I'm not disagreeing with the gurus, you all have far more experience than me and I respect that, I just wanted to explain why I said what I did about savings earlier on.

Just one question though. If an OR sends out a new SOA, does it ask about cash in the house and savings in the bank?

dojoman

philnicandamy wrote: »

Correct....:D:D

Thanks Phil.

dojoman

Ineedaname wrote: »

Actually not an interpretation but from a specific conversation which I didn't want to repeat online. Suffice to say that my OR specifically said that if a BR could find surplus for extra things then their allowance was too high!

I'm not disagreeing with the gurus, you all have far more experience than me and I respect that, I just wanted to explain why I said what I did about savings earlier on.

Just one question though. If an OR sends out a new SOA, does it ask about cash in the house and savings in the bank?

If the account was opened post BR then the OR has no need to know about it.

Ineedaname

Thanks Dojo but that's not answering the question. What questions are asked on an OR's SOA?

dojoman

Ineedaname wrote: »

Thanks Dojo but that's not answering the question. What questions are asked on an OR's SOA?

What difference does it make? when you agree to an IPA, that is the amount that the OR and yourself agrees to. If you want to go without food, haircuts etc then any money saved is yours, it has nothing to do with the OR. I did not receive another SOA before discharge so I cannot answer your question, but it is immaterial, they cannot claim money back that you have managed to save. To be honest I will leave it at that, as wall, head, and banging is coming to mind