Does Child Getting SUSI reduce JSA

bsloepro

My son has recently started university and gets a SUSI grant. It covers his fees and some maintenance - approx 2900 per annum.

His mother is on JSA and has told him her Jobseeker’s Allowance has been reduced because he is getting a SUSI grant. She had his SUSI grant application made to go into her bank account - we didn’t notice until 2 payments had gone through - and wasn’t too happy that he switched it to his. She has now put this guilt trip on him that she is getting less because of the SUSI grant.

Surely the receipt by my son of a SUSI grant is not considered in her means test for JSA but I am open to correction or any information - please

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058320432/does-child-getting-susi-reduce-jsa

Please show your son and his mother this from gov.ie

TooTired123

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/11f23e-means-assessment-guidelines/#cash-income

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307389#Comment_121307389

I think your quote would apply to the applicant, i.e. the person whose bank account the grant is paid into and if they themselves had a Farm Assist payment it would not be affected.

But if the mother had requested that the SUSI grant was paid into HER account (which it sounds like she did), and the SUSI grant is not for her but for her son............... then it would count as means and it would be means tested as far as her payment is concerned. I could be wrong though?

Dempo1

I can't see why the Mothers (Parent's) JSA payment would be reduced or affected by a son being awarded a Susi Grant. I'm assuming the Grant was made in the son's name 🤔

Having payment into mothers account shouldn't have affected her JSA either.

Why the mums JSA reduced, I don't know but she can long into myself and click on payment information on her JSA any deductions listed there

Cherry Blossom

It’s possible her son has been taken off her claim due to his age. If she was trying to claim his grant as her own that’s theft at best and fraud at the worst.

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307429#Comment_121307429

It was made in his name alright and is now going into account. Info on here seems to make sense. I think someone is trying to make a thin connection between loss of claim on one side and my son getting some money himself.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307447#Comment_121307447

Yes that makes sense 👍

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307415#Comment_121307415

I didn’t mean to highlight the farm assist point.

I posted from the gov.ie Operational Guidelines on Means Testing.

It clearly says that SUSI grant is not taken into account in the means test for JSA. That means that it doesn’t matter who the SUSI grant is paid to, it’s not taken into account.

People who qualify for a SUSI grant are students who are in full time education. People who are in full time education can’t get JSA because they aren’t looking for or available for full time work.

People who are getting the SW payment Back to Education Allowance can’t get SUSI grant too.

SUSI grant is a government scheme and there wouldn’t be any point in awarding a family a SUSI grant if the same government were going to take it away again from the SW payment they were already giving the family.

That would be preposterous.

Im not saying that the JSA payment to your sons mother wasn’t reduced. What I am saying without a shadow of hesitation is that it wasn’t reduced because of the SUSI grant.

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307573#Comment_121307573

I hear ya loud and clear !!!

thanks to you and everyone else who replied.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307611#Comment_121307611

The reduction seems to be something else, tell the mother to check mywelfare if she has access, the deduction will be listed under payment information under her JSA details

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121307632#Comment_121307632

Thanks - she’s done this and sent me a screen shot - now I have seen no previous payments so can’t tell how/if this one is any different.

It has a “means assessment deduction” in there of 122.

Maintenance paid by me is 1250 pcm or in around 288 per week. From the gov site it says means is assessed by

(maintenance - rent) / 2 or 50% of the maintenance after rent. I’m pretty sure rent is in around the 35 euro per week mark which would bring means calculated to in around 125 which is not too far off the 122.

Her basic rate is 270. Would the calculated means come off this straight then?

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308070#Comment_121308070

So I'm now confused, this started as a query about Susi grant affecting Mothers JSA but it now appears your paying maintenance which would I presume be means tested.

Surely this is not a new deduction, how long have you being paying maintenance.

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308224#Comment_121308224

im confused myself!!

I’ve been paying maintenance for 12 years. It’s been 1250 pcm for 8 of those - the last 8.

my son came to me today stressed because his mother told him she is getting jsa deducted because he is getting susi, and he felt he needed to get a job to pay her back. He was talking about getting a nightshift job on top of college during the day. Most of his Susi goes on his bus to and from college (add to this he’s staying with me Monday - Friday) and I cover him as far as food, accommodation, and gladly so….but it seemed to me the set up she was hoping for was I pay her maintenance, he stays with me, I was cover his day to day expenses and the SUSI grant goes into her bank account for her costs - warped logic imo.

I contacted her and asked her why she believed her jsa was down because he was getting susi. She replied “because his susi grant is affecting my means test”…and sent me that screen shot….and seems to be asserting that the means assessment deduction has changed of late. Based on my calculations though it seems correct as is.

The only thing I can confirm as truth is I pay 1250 pcm maintenance and she has sent me that screen shot of one of her payment histories. Honesty would not be her strongest point - is about the nicest way I could put it

holliehobbie

Holy moly. Your son is living with you and you’re paying 1250 a month maintenance to his mother. You definitely aren’t related to my ex who gave up work for years so he’d have to pay no maintenance for our children! You shouldn’t be paying anything to her, she should be paying to you!

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308399#Comment_121308399

Ah look - I know !! Granted his 17 year old sister does stay with her mother during the week and me at the weekends. Maintenance breakdown is 650 spousal and 300 * 2 per child…equals 1250.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308333#Comment_121308333

Sounds like your ex has been playing mind games & I'm sorry to hear this. Your Son's Susi Grant has definitely not affected his mother's JSA and I've absolutely no doubt your ex has had the deduction for whatever amount of time she's been on JSA and you were paying Maintenance.

Very mean spirited carry on. You may not wish to show your son, mine and others responses to your query, but I would.

Alternatively PM me, I'll layout a detailed answer you can you show him

Take care

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308455#Comment_121308455

Thanks - really mean that.

I showed him the ones above with the facts about it and the links….sure no one wants to be thinking their mother is up to this lark but it’s been going on a long time and for me this was a line crossed. He’s a smart lad though and when faced with the facts he can see exactly what’s going on. I’m just waiting to see what line of h0rsesh1t is coming next!! Enough to be worrying about and getting on with in life between one thing and another. Having to worry about your son getting robbed by his mother is a new low.

holliehobbie

I thought there was no such thing as spousal maintenance or if there was it would be for a limited time until the ex spouse got a job? I am right in thinking your arrangement isn’t through any court?

bsloepro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308610#Comment_121308610

It is through court - yes. spousal maintenance is very real!!

She is yet to get a job.

holliehobbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308623#Comment_121308623

Gosh. She sounds a bit like my ex husband who stood up in Court one November and said he hoped to be able to start looking for job in January. It took him about 9 years to get a job in an industry crying out for workers! I bought him out of the house and he just lived on that money for years instead of keeping working, getting a mortgage and a house like I had to!