Parents who are on benefits
- Do parents who claim benefits get any money from the Child Support Agency (CSA)?
- Does the CSA keep money paid to parents who are on benefits?
- How many parents who have CSA cases receive benefits?
- Aren't old scheme parents missing out on Child Maintenance Premiums?
Q. Do parents who claim benefits get any money from the Child Support Agency (CSA)?
A. Parents with care who receive benefits and have cases on the current child maintenance scheme can receive a 'child maintenance premium'. This is currently up to £10 per week of any child maintenance paid to us. This disregard will increase to £20 per week and be extended across both schemes.
In June 2008, almost 73,600 parents with care on benefits received the Child Maintenance Premium, equating to £2.6m per month. This is an improvement of 12,600 from June 2007, equating to over £436,000 more money going to lower income families every month.
Q. Does the CSA keep money paid to parents who are on benefits?
A. Any money over the £10 is paid to the Secretary of State to make up for the money paid to the person in benefits, it is not kept by CSA.
From 27 October 2008 all the child maintenance we receive will be paid to the parent with care. If they are receiving Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance they must tell Jobcentre Plus how much child maintenance they have received. Jobcentre Plus will then adjust their benefit and the parent with care will keep up to £20 of the total child maintenance they have been paid.
Q. How many parents who have CSA cases receive benefits?
A. In November 2007 588,700 parents with care or non-resident parents were in receipt of benefit. Of these 146,800 cases had both the parent with care and non-resident parent on benefit, 150,900 had only the non-resident parent on benefit, and 290,900 had only the parent with care on benefit.
A parent with care is considered to be in receipt of benefit if they or their partner are claiming Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
A non-resident parent is considered to be in receipt of benefit if they or their partner is in receipt of Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit.
However, the child maintenance is worked out using the old scheme rules and the non-resident parent's partner is claiming one of these benefits, the non-resident parent is not considered as being in receipt of benefit.
Q. Aren't parents on the old scheme missing out on child maintenance premiums?
A. The Secretary of State has announced that the £20 disregard will be extended to all old scheme cases in October 2008.
