Maintenance recovery unit assessments??

changes

Hi

I am looking to find out how often the assessment for maintenance is carried out on the father by the MRU section of the dept of social welfare.

I am currently paying maintenance through a court order, however I recieved a letter from the Maintenance Recovery Unit looking to assess me for further maintenance.

How often do they assess the father or do they make a decision of what is a fair amount to contribute and so long as it is paid they won't be back looking for more in 6 months, 1 yr, etc???

Klingon Hamlet

changes wrote: »

Hi

I am looking to find out how often the assessment for maintenance is carried out on the father by the MRU section of the dept of social welfare.

I am currently paying maintenance through a court order, however I recieved a letter from the Maintenance Recovery Unit looking to assess me for further maintenance.

How often do they assess the father or do they make a decision of what is a fair amount to contribute and so long as it is paid they won't be back looking for more in 6 months, 1 yr, etc???

This is usually where a mother has not declared the maintenance she is receiving. Forward on a copy of your court order and they'll go back to the mother and start asking serious questions.

Found this here:

Maintenance Orders

Where a recipient of Deserted Wife's Benefit, Deserted Wife's Allowance, Lone Parent's Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment is receiving maintenance payments by way of a Family Law Court Order, (either a Family Law Maintenance Order or a Separation Agreement which has gone through the court and has a Maintenance clause in it) and those maintenance payments have not been assessed in deciding his/her rate of payment, then s/he is liable to transfer any payments received to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, including any payments made in respect of children.

Under the legislation, where a One-Parent Family Payment recipient is required to transfer the maintenance payments to the Minister, the amount to be transferred shall be reduced by the housing costs actually incurred by the qualified parent, up to a maximum of €4,952.00 per annum.

Administrative practice ensures that recipients of Deserted Wife's Allowance or Benefit or Lone Parent's Allowance are similarly allowed retain the portion of the maintenance in respect of the mortgage or rent or the home improvement loan, for the term of the loan and up to a maximum of €95.20 per week or €4,952.00 per annum.

The payment of One-Parent Family Payment/Lone Parents Allowance/Deserted Wife's Benefit guarantees the person concerned a regular weekly income which he/she might not otherwise enjoy if solely dependent on maintenance payments.

The transfer of a maintenance order ensures this continuity of social welfare income and, at the same time, compliance with the "Liability to Maintain Family" provisions. Under the One-Parent Family Payment both personal and child maintenance are assessed as means; rent or mortgage repayments may be disregarded in assessing maintenance payments, up to a ceiling of €95.20 per week. The Department is required, under the legislation, to secure transfer of the maintenance order if payments under that order have not been assessed when deciding the claim.

Failure to comply with a request to transfer maintenance payments may result in reduction or termination of the One-Parent Family payment/Deserted Wife's Benefit/Lone Parents Allowance.