Could some one help me decide if this case is right?
The claimant is liable to pay Child Care costs. However she does not pay them, her former partner does as part of a voluntary arrangement. He does this instead of paying maintenance through the C.S.A.
We currently are taking a disregard from her earnings for the child care costs but we are also taking into account, as maintenance and applying the £15.00 disregard, the money received from her former partner that is being used to pay the childcare charges.
Should we be taking the maintenance into account, or should it be classed as a voluntary payment.
Also should we taking a disregard from the earnings for the Child Care costs, because the claimant isn’t actually paying them.
On relevant childcare charges the guidance manual states. ‘Relevant child care charges are charges, other than those for the child’s compulsory education, paid by the [u:7cc3a6bac4]claimant[/u:7cc3a6bac4] for the care of any child of the claimant’s family who is of a qulaifying age’.
