CSA or Private Arrangement ?

Can someone give me some advice to pass onto my sister please. She is recently separated and is now in the process of going into the benefit system - has her appointment tomorrow. She will get Income Support, and Child Tax Credit and of course child maintenance when it is sorted. Now her ex offered £150 a week, but as she is claiming IS, as far as I understand it, she needs to go through the CSA. But if she does that - how long will it take ?? She will have no money coming in and if he had offered £150 a week for now, is she better taking that ? but will she lose Income Support that way ?
And second question is - any idea how long it takes for altered child tax credit to come through ?

Child tax credit is pretty quick to do the turn around , as for the CM if she goes through the CSA which she will have to as she is on income support she will only get £10p/w of the maintenace he is paying rest goes to the secretary of state for covering her benefits.Maybe would be better for her to come of the Income support to accept the £150p/w but if she is claiming housing benefit it will be classed as an income.

Hi there

The best people I have found to give this sort of advice is the benefit advisors at the CAB.

Other people have told me that tax credits are sorted out quickly but it took 4 weeks to get a form out of them then another 4 months before they paid up. Somebody tell Gordon Brown.

I done my child tax credits as a single claim with the help of a lone parent advisor at the job centre, i have never had a problem since beinga single claiment.

I have sorted my CTC out recently and it only took 8 days and even if it or a CSA claim takes longer to come through in paper, payments are always back dated. Re her CSA claim , she can apply online and even use the CSA calculator on line to get a rough idea of what he would have to pay her ( if she has an idea of what he earns?)
Whatever she decides I wish her well.

Angel557 wrote:

Child tax credit is pretty quick to do the turn around , as for the CM if she goes through the CSA which she will have to as she is on income support she will only get £10p/w of the maintenace he is paying rest goes to the secretary of state for covering her benefits.Maybe would be better for her to come of the Income support to accept the £150p/w but if she is claiming housing benefit it will be classed as an income.

What does £10p/w mean ?? The CSA online showed she should get £120 a week as there are 4 children and he earns £500 + a week. He has insisted he will provide £150 a week, so if they didnt give it to her he would top it up ? but do you mean she will only get 10p a week ?? she cant manage without the child maintenance. She doesnt need housing benefit as she doesnt pay rent, but she will need council tax benefit.
Why cant he pay privately if she is on Income Support ? The person she rang when she applied told her it was an option to opt out ? is this not possible then ?