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. All the child maintenance collected by the CSA will be paid in full to the parent with care. Parents with care who receive income-related benefits must declare any maintenance they receive to Jobcentre Plus. Since 27 October 2008, all parents with care who receive income-related benefits are allowed to keep up to £20 per week of child maintenance in addition to their benefits.
Q. Does the CSA keep money paid to parents who are on benefits?
A. All the child maintenance collected by the CSA will be paid in full to the parent with care. Parents with care who receive income-related benefits must declare any maintenance they receive to Jobcentre Plus. Since 27 October 2008, all parents with care who receive income-related benefits are allowed to keep up to £20 per week of child maintenance in addition to their benefits.
Q. How many parents who have CSA cases receive benefits?
A. In February 2008, 596,800 parents with care or non-resident parents were in receipt of benefit. Of these 151,300 cases had both the parent with care and non-resident parent on benefit, 155,100 had only the non-resident parent on benefit, and 290,400 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 related benefits.
A non-resident parent is considered to be in receipt of benefit if they or their partner is in receipt of Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, 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. Since 27 October 2008 the £20 disregard has been extended to all old scheme cases.
