Will I get in trouble?

KitKat123
KitKat123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
in Universal Credit (UC)

Hi, my ex partner sends me £900 a month for child maintenance. When we was together I took out a car finance loan in my name which he paid for. It was for my disabled son as he has autism and we needed a car for this reason. Anyway he still pays for this car loan which is £615 each month and then he pays me £285 for my son. Do I need to declare that he pays that much child maintenance because of the car as I’m sure they would ask why he pays so much a month or would they accept that he paid for this car loan when we was together so he carried on when we split up. We also share the car between us whenever one of us has my son.

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,590 Championing

    No you do not need to report child maintenance payments because they are not treated as income. They are treated as capital. If your total capital is less than £6,000 there's nothing to report.

  • KitKat123
    KitKat123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972490#Comment_972490

    But will they want to investigate why he pays for the car loan? Or they will probably be suspicious as to why he pays £900 child maintenance which is a lot.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,590 Championing

    No they will not. If he pays for the loan that's nothing to do with UC. For child maintenance it's disregarded and not treated as income.

    See link.

    https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance-service

    How it affects benefits

    Child maintenance payments will not affect any benefits that you and your children get, including Universal Credit. You will not have to pay tax on them.

  • KitKat123
    KitKat123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972648#Comment_972648

    I see. I was told by someone that if they ever check me they will flag up these transactions being made to me as he is sending me a big amount and will be suspicious that we are a couple even if I say it’s child maintenance. I took the car loan out in 2023 and he’s always paid for it. I just don’t want to get investigated for this I deal with anxiety as it is. I don’t want to go to prison if they believe we were/are a couple!

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,590 Championing

    If you ever have a review and you need to send bank statements and they ask what it's for then tell them it's child maintenance payments from your Ex partner. As I advised, child maintenance payments are not treated as income, they are treated as capital. Please see the link I provided above. The same applies to any money you receive from family or friends they are not income, they are treated as capital.

    If they ever question whether you live together just send them proof that you don't, such as council tax letter from yourself and/or your ex.

    You would definitely not go to prison.

  • KitKat123
    KitKat123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/972712#Comment_972712

    I understand but I feel like they will want to investigate as it is a large amount of maintenance and it gets paid to a car loan some of it which we took out before and they will see that as we were a couple if they can get a car together.

  • KitKat123
    KitKat123 Online Community Member Posts: 6 Listener

    We even want to make a go of things to be honest and move in with me but I know as soon as they ask for his bank statements when he does his claim they will be suspicious about the £900 be sends to me every month that’s the problem. If I come off of universal credit then we will be left with hardly nothing as I cannot work because I look after my disabled son.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,590 Championing

    The car was purchased when you were a couple but you're no longer a couple. Lots of people purchase expensive items when they are together and then split up, it happens all the time.

    I really do think you're worrying needlessly. If they ask then tell them the truth, there won't be any issues. Proving you're not living together will be easy.

    There are also situations when a couple were living together and claimed UC as a couple but then split up but continue to live under the same roof BUT as single people. They continue to live together because they have no where else to go. In this situation it is possible to claim UC as single people if you can prove you're NOT living as a couple..by proving you pay your share of the bills and do not have joint bank accounts.

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