Child maintenance: can somebody explain this to me
If i get £20 per week is mean I will just get £10
On 12 April 2010 the law on child maintenance changed.
The change means that parents with care who are on benefit can now keep all of the child maintenance they receive and it does not affect their benefits.
In the past, if the parent with care or their partner was getting income-related benefits and was getting child maintenance, the parent with care may not have got their full amount of benefits.
If you are on benefits you may not receive full child maintenance payments as well as your Income Support or income-based Jobseekers Allowance. This is because the Government keeps some of the child maintenance money paid by the non-resident parent to make up for the money paid as benefits. Instead, you receive whatever benefits you are entitled to, plus a child maintenance premium. This can be any amount up to £10 a week of hild maintenance that the non-resident parent pays to us. From October 27 October 2008, you can keep up to £20 a week of any child maintenance paid before it affects the amount of benefit you may receive.
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Yes, you can keep all the child maintenance paid now, even if on Income Support. This means that it is financially worthwhile trying to GET some child support. I suggested to you yesterday that you could go through the Child Support Agency and that may be the way to formalise arrangements between you and your child's father. Please note, however, that the other parent only has to pay £5 a week if they are on certain benefits themselves
Thank you all for help
I am single mother but not allowed to get income support.....cos I am from Poland, I get jobseeker allowance
thank you
It is the same with Income-Related Job seekers allowance, you still keep the child maintenance.
I am struggling. I'll keep ya posted just to see the difference. Watch this space. No offence intended just couriousity xx
NOTE FROM MODERATOR: post edited, we ask that members are respectful of each others' different circumstances
Hello mandybyersno1
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Hope this helps 
Hello, sorry to jump in on this post as i havent introduced myself yet, anyway im a single mum of one child i work 16 hours a week and get child/working tax credits and council and housing benefits, what i wish to know is do i have to declare child maintenance that i get from my ex? Im a bit worried now as i didnt think i had to declare it?
Hello Mznutty
No, child support is not taken into account, don't worry. if anyone has any questions about Child Support then we have our own CSA Expert and you can email her by clicking on the link
As far as I am aware, you are now able keep all the maintanence if you are on income support, even if it does exceed £20 a week. I think they've realised that a lot of absent parents when it does come to income support receive less than £20 a week and its probably cheaper ignoring it.
I have been getting about £14 a week for my four children, so it made no difference - sadly...!