ipa - partners allowance

kej_2

Hi,
I went br in Dec '10 due to having second child and not being able to pay debts while on maternity leave, partner could not help as debts too high. I am now due to return to work in 2 weeks and am expecting to have to pay into an IPA due to my circumstances / income changing. Currently I have no ipa as only recieve benefits ( mat pay, child benefit etc ).
My question is - is my partner allocated any living allowance ??( previously I had dmp which allowed this ).
My income is substantially higher than partners ( approx £300 - £500 per month) and if household bills etc are split 50/50 it leaves him with no spare money each month, we will now be paying £550 a month in childcare so I can return to work fulltime which we previously did not have to pay as first child is in primary school and picked up by grandparents but they can not help much with second child.
Bankruptcy put strain on relationship as it is but if SOA is based on houshold income and it is deemed that I have large surplus income to go toward ipa while partner is putting all of his pay into household expenses just so it is split 50/50 I can imagine relationship suffering more.....
Hope this makes sense and someone can help clarify

Ineedaname

The IPA is for you as you are the person who is BR, however, you have to account for your partner's contribution towards total household expenses (not your own medical, haircuts, vehicle costs etc).

For instance, if your income is £1800 pcm and your partner's £1300 pcm then your partner's percentage of the total household income is approximately 42%.

So if total joint household expenditure is £850 per month then your partner's contribution at 42% would be £357.

kej_2

Thanks - that makes sense. Stressful enough returning to work after 9 months off without worrying about possible ipa etc .....

Ineedaname

I know it's difficult, but even if you do get an IPA, just remember you are doing something productive each day and in 3 years you'll have paid something back towards your debts and be free and clear.:)