Wanderer returns

Prudent

Firstly as a single mum myself I would like to say well done. It is not easy and you seem to be trying really hard to give the best to your children.

I am still confused about how you keep the maintenance. Can you claim tax credits even though you aren't working? Why doesn't every single mum do the same?

amani_2

Hi I would also like to say you are doing brilliant. :T I was in the same situation 4 1/2 years ago.

I would also like to know how you manage to keep the maintenance, as my sister is now in the same situation as you but she has 3 children. she claims child tax credit for the children like you but can not keep the maintenance her ex pays. she can only have this if she starts work.


AMANI XXX

amani_2

PRUDENT income support, is not paid for children now you have to claim child tax credit for them if you are not working. About the maintenance I would also like to know.

Penny2myName

Yesterday I made a full Sunday dinner for when my kids came home from their dad's. They ended up coming home at 8pm (cant complain as it was the last time they were likely to see their uncle in long time as he emigrates to Canada in next two weeks.

So I now have this fully roasted chicken to do something with as my kids wont eat cold chicken and I am veggie.

I fancy myself a Jacket spud with sweetcorn for my lunch and only having large tins in the house will still have 2/3rds of a tin left so...

Monday Chicken and sweetcorn Pasta done in a white sauce
Tuesday chicken curry with rice and popadoms
Wednesday give me a hint (daughter late home, athletics club)
Thursday Pizza and garlic bread (daughter late home, drama club)
Friday Fish Chips and peas
Saturday Sau

Argg just noticed the sausages and pies I ordered both need using by today, so quick rethink
going to make a sausage casserole and freeze it for later in week

Monday Pie (mince & onion for kids, veg for me) mash potatoes and beans
(banana and chocolate crumble with custard)

Tuesday Chicken and sweetcorn Pasta done in a white sauce (no idea what i will have probs another Jacket potato)
(Chocolate sponge and custard)

Wednesday sausage casserole with jacket potatoes (cheese topping for me)
(rice pudding)

Thursday chicken curry with rice and popadoms (cheese on toast for me as i cant stand any of it)
(sliced Melon)

Friday Fish Chips and peas
(Chocolate sponge and custard)

Saturday Pizza and garlic bread

Sunday peas carrots cauliflower new potatoes roast potatoes + something

Think for lunch all week apart from today I will be on cheese/onion/cucumber sandwiches.

Shopping list for 18th-24th
Chocolate drops
Custard
Sausage casserole mix
Bread
+ 'something'

Penny2myName

They did admit to me it wasn't something they had come across before (least not the person i was dealt with) My ex was crap at paying csa, he would just forget to send it to them, so when I started work some years back he paid direct to me, when i went back on is the DIRECT payments kept coming to me but IS was reduced by this amount. Then I started work again and by this time Child Tax Credits had been introduced (a good two years may i add) so at long last I now had the higher rate of child tax credit than what i had for them on IS. In Feb I had to give work up, I was already getting child tax credits for the kids and I was only claiming IS for myself. At this point my daughter was still eagle eyed over her andher bro's maintence going towards swimming and martial art lessons. Its when she found me close to tears and discovered i was skipping meals to feed them that she was willing to postphone her lessons for now, son had been willing to for ages. So I am in theroy borrowing from my children every month. its why I have a savings account set up for both of them so they are still recieving 25% of it for now.

Penny2myName

by the way, I was never married to their father, and the maintence is sorely for the children that he pays (in theroy) and once again asap. and for once I must have blagged them(social) well enough to come out on top.

Penny2myName

I think the secret lies in Direct payment. I have a third son who i have never seen maintence for, who's father pays through csa, well he did, no idea if he still does due to two reasons, first I was IS when he started paying it through csa since he asked for a dna test through them, and secondly because my youngest child decided he wants to live like an only child so moved in with my sister, so she is now his legal guardian.

amani_2

My sister was in the same situation, she was working and her ex would pay matenance to her. When she finished work she was not allowed to keep this her ex had to pay it to csa to cover part of her payment from income support.

Penny2myName

Its because he would forget to pay csa, and i was yoyoing between working and not working, that I was allowed to keep getting direct payment. Like I said, when I had IS for me and the kids, my IS was reduced by the maintenance amount. Weather I have stumbled on a loophole or not I don't know, but it could do with someone looking into. The payment amount was assessed by csa, payment comes direct not through csa, Payment is for children only I am not even down on the assement, Child tax credit disregards maintenance. I am only claiming IS for me and not the kids.

Penny2myName

One other thing, my claim was restricted for years due to the fact he and his mother were both civil servants, he is a jsa advisor and she was (tills she passed away) a lone parents advisor. Checking my claim took alot of steps even for me to just have a simple form signed. So it was probably easier for them to allow the direct payments and just reduced my IS at the time.