Deep Trouble

anon450

DO housing benefit care if im not up to date with my nursery fees? My nursery fees have recently decreased and I updated my change of circumstances to housing benefit with a letter from the childcare provider outlining the new fees but they want to see all of my bank statements and im frightened because I am no where near up to date, I pay the childminder cash in spits and spurts so I can highlight all the withdrawels, im being made redundant soon and have told my childminder i'll give her a lump sum of what I owe her then and she's fine with this. Im just worried housing benefit will scrutanise and see that im not paying the childminder regularly so see it that im not entitled to housing benefit??

nottslass_2

anon450 wrote: »

DO housing benefit care if im not up to date with my nursery fees? My nursery fees have recently decreased and I updated my change of circumstances to housing benefit with a letter from the childcare provider outlining the new fees but they want to see all of my bank statements and im frightened because I am no where near up to date, I pay the childminder cash in spits and spurts so I can highlight all the withdrawels, im being made redundant soon and have told my childminder i'll give her a lump sum of what I owe her then and she's fine with this. Im just worried housing benefit will scrutanise and see that im not paying the childminder regularly so see it that im not entitled to housing benefit??

I wouldn't have thought that it would matter,there are many that would pay their childcare fee's a month in arrears anyway.

There is also no rule to say that you can't pay for childcare by cash and this would therefore these payments not be obvious on your bank statement.

Molly41

Sorry but I feel for your childminder. She must have a heart of gold to put up with your payment schedule. I was a single working mum prior to the days of childcare help and in dire financial state. I always prioritised payment to my minder as without her i couldnt work and she needed the money. Your childminder is not working just for the love of it she needs to earn a decent living. You need to sort it out and pay what you owe, when its owed.

computersaysnoagain

Make sure you get receipts.

bestpud

I agree with both posts!

What a shocking way to treat your childminder!

But surely you have receipts from her, or she can provide an invoice of payments made?

I have a sneaking suspicion this isn't purely a business relationship tbh. :cool:

Lifeisbutadream

I dont really understand what housing benefit has to do with paying your childminder, but I will say this, if what you say is true and you are paying your childminder 'in spits and spurts' (rather than actually paying her less than you are declaring, because that is one of my first thoughts) - then you are treating your childminder with absolutely no respect whatsoever.

A friend of mine has just given up her childminding business, having had to deal with people not paying because 'they have no money' (do they think she has?) or 'their child went to a friends house on such a day' (so they actually think they shouldnt pay because they tell her last minute their child wont be coming) or 'because she is too expensive' (so they want to change the terms after agreeing to them). SHe loved her job and it was a shame for the parents who treated her well, but for her, it simply wasnt worth the stress.

Sixer

anon450 wrote: »

DO housing benefit care if im not up to date with my nursery fees? My nursery fees have recently decreased and I updated my change of circumstances to housing benefit with a letter from the childcare provider outlining the new fees but they want to see all of my bank statements and im frightened because I am no where near up to date, I pay the childminder cash in spits and spurts so I can highlight all the withdrawels, im being made redundant soon and have told my childminder i'll give her a lump sum of what I owe her then and she's fine with this. Im just worried housing benefit will scrutanise and see that im not paying the childminder regularly so see it that im not entitled to housing benefit??

I would suggest you ask your childminder to produce you a statement on her headed paper. Doesn't she do this anyway?

anon450

Thanks everybody, my husband sadly passed away and he was the one who dealy with all the bills and childcare fees, I pay her her baseline fee but I pay the arrears in spits and spurts sorry if I did not make that so clear. She is very understanding of the arrears as child tax credits changed my joint claim to a single one and whilst they were doing this my payments stopped. I recently was investigated in regard to my childcare and tax credit found nothing untoward during the investigation so I have been claiming for the correct amount thank you. I was simply asking as some of my payments towards my child minder were so erratic during those stressful months could they use this against me? Tax credits didn't, just wondered if housing benefit would look at my bank statements and not see regular payments coming out for my child minder, just a question. I treat my childminder with utmost respect, she saw the state I was in when my husband passed away and yes she does have a heart of gold so don't for one minute start judging me, i've been through enough.

burntfingers_2

I am sorry to hear of your husbands death and can't begin to imagine the fallout that has left you with especially if you say that you didn't deal with any of the bills etc

If the arrangement suits you and your childminder then it is between you both, if the housing benefit want to see your bank statements then show them. If there is any queries then I am sure they will let you know and you can then produce the outstanding bill from your childminder and tell them that you have an arrangement to clear these as and when you can. I am sure under the circumstances that they will understand the situation that you are all in.

hugs

BF xx

anon450

thank you so much, i spoke to a solicitor and she said that they shouldn't be interested in my outgoings, all they want to see is how much money is coming into my account, as you can pay childcare fees by cash so theres no way of knowing what the withdrawels were for. Im going to get my childminder to write me a letter stating fees paid etc and see what happens, im quite a bit behind and they will notice no payments have been made if they go through my bank accounts.

burntfingers_2

I don't think that you have anything to worry about. Like your solicitor says they are just wanting to make sure that you don't have any other income.

All this and then you are facing redudancy too? I am going through will I ? won't be? made redundant so know that in itself is stressful enough. Hope you managed to get it sorted out.

My thoughts are with you and your family.

BF