www.iva.co.uk

Hi everyone,i had my phone appointment with Tina from Melanie's office last night and i feel a lot more positive than i have done for a while.Tina was very nice and understanding and feels that i can make a good offer towards an IVA.I'm just a little worried about what the allowances are for food and clothing.We are a family of 4 and my eldest is coming up for 18 but doesn't leave college until the summer,and Tina has said that their guidelines are £240.00 per couple and £62 per child and the clothing allowance is £54 per month.I'm worried as my son is obviously a grown man and eats as one, as well as requiring larger clothes as well.
Don't get me wrong i really want to offer the best amount back that i can and hopefully when he leaves college he will be seeking full-time employment but i don't want anything to fail from the off.
any advise would be appreciated,i know i should have perhaps voiced my concerns last night but i didn't want to come across as ungrateful and causing problems already!!
thanx in advance Trees [:I][:I]

Hi -

Could your son maybe find a part-time job in the evenings or at weekends to help out until the Summer? Just a thought - it would help out for the few months until he goes into full-time employment. Especially if he is aware of your financial difficulties - I am sure he would be happy to help out.

Tina is working from CCCS guidelined figures which are very frugal - but they do allow a higher allowance of £295 for a couple and £75 for a child for housekeeping and £44 for a couple and £12 per child for clothing so these may be more reasonable for you. There are also other allowances such as meals at work, sundries, entertainment which provide additional money so it may not all be so bad when you look at the budget in rounded terms.

At the end of the day you should state what you actually spend, and we will then advise you of how creditors will view that - but I have to say the majority of them are sticking very rigidly to the CCCS figures at the moment.

A part-time job for your son is also a very good idea, to give him a little financial independence.