Child Maintenance

FBaby

But what many posters are suggesting would affect people who do and do not receive maintenance. So how would you suggest it works for those who dont actually receive the money due to them?

I don't understand your argument. All it would take is another box when claiming tax credits under 'additional income' which would say 'please state amount of maintenance you receive'. If it is only received there and then, it can be estimated, just like other income. If it stops, it can re-assessed.

As for the whole story of poverty, I fell to see how children could end up in poverty on a net income of £20k. They might not be rich, they not enjoy luxury, but poverty?

This thread really show the complete utter idiocity of that programme on C4 yesterday about wealth. According to that report, OP would be considered in poverty when as it if she claims tax credits, she will have more disposable income then somone who pays higher taxes...

shoe*diva79

FBaby wrote: »

I don't understand your argument. All it would take is another box when claiming tax credits under 'additional income' which would say 'please state amount of maintenance you receive'. If it is only received there and then, it can be estimated, just like other income. If it stops, it can re-assessed.

As for the whole story of poverty, I fell to see how children could end up in poverty on a net income of £20k. They might not be rich, they not enjoy luxury, but poverty?

This thread really show the complete utter idiocity of that programme on C4 yesterday about wealth. According to that report, OP would be considered in poverty when as it if she claims tax credits, she will have more disposable income then somone who pays higher taxes...

Could you imagine the nightmare having to update tax credits as and when payments were received, and risking massive overpayments which many people already have without the CM in the mix!

Take my case, I would be on the phone every month asking for reassessments.

I dont understand your £20k figure? If there was a single parent on Income Support with one child then they would receive £71 IS, £56 CTC and £20 CB each week. This is around £7750 per year?

Didnt see the program so cant comment on it.

FBaby

They wouldn't update every month but provide an estimate. No different to people on 0 hours contracts who never get the same income months in months.

FBaby

The £20k figure is OP's income plus maintenance.

shoe*diva79

FBaby wrote: »

They wouldn't update every month but provide an estimate. No different to people on 0 hours contracts who never get the same income months in months.

So if they estimate £0 for CM for the forthcoming year but actually receive, for example, £2000 over the year then they put £2k of the Tax Credits in a separate account to pay back to the HMRC?

£20K I agree is not poverty. £7750 for 2 people I believe is.

janninew

shoe*diva79 wrote: »

Could you imagine the nightmare having to update tax credits as and when payments were received, and risking massive overpayments which many people already have without the CM in the mix!

Take my case, I would be on the phone every month asking for reassessments.

I dont understand your £20k figure? If there was a single parent on Income Support with one child then they would receive £71 IS, £56 CTC and £20 CB each week. This is around £7750 per year?

Didnt see the program so cant comment on it.

I assume that £7750 doesn't include the help they will get with rent and council tax, prescriptions etc? It suddenly doesn't look like such a small amount if you don't have these expenses to pay.

shoe*diva79

janninew wrote: »

I assume that £7750 doesn't include the help they will get with rent and council tax, prescriptions etc? It suddenly doesn't look like such a small amount if you don't have these expenses to pay.

No it does not include rent, CT or prescriptions but I dont think approx £645 per month is not a lot to live on with usual household bills etc which need to be paid, which include some council tax as you no longer get 100% CT paid now if on benefits.

janninew

shoe*diva79 wrote: »

No it does not include rent, CT or prescriptions but I dont think approx £645 per month is not a lot to live on with usual household bills etc which need to be paid, which include some council tax as you no longer get 100% CT paid now if on benefits.

So approx £160.00 per week with no rent and very little council tax? Really doesn't sound like poverty to me!

If we wanted to be more accurate they would in fact be receiving benefits totalling approx £15,000 per year (did a rough estimation based on rents in my area of a 2 bed at £550 per month and council tax of approx £95.00 per month) Didn't include any prescriptions in my rough estimate.

£15,000 in benefits per year doesn't seem to bad to me and way off your figure of £7750.

Lieja

I'll never understand why people criticise the low paid worker for claiming what they can, when those who are actually to blame for keeping wages low and benefits a necessity are laughing all the way to the bank.

Taxpayers will pay their taxes no matter what the government decides to spend it on. Better in the pockets of low paid workers than in the expense accounts of the 1%. I know I'd much rather my taxes were spent on helping people to feed their kids than some of the awful stuff that gets funded instead.

shoe*diva79

Well as my figure didnt include rent or council tax benefit it would be way off wouldn't it!


Anyhow, not for either of us to decide because the government already did, and they deemed that it was an amount that was putting single parent families into poverty. Which is why they changed the law in April 2010 to conclude that any CM received by the PWC was not used as income when deciding any state benefits they were entitled to.