www.iva.co.uk

More Review Questions - my review is due soon and would some advise on the amount that is allowed for food. This figure has not increased for the last 2 years but with cost of living so high wondered if any allowance is made to increase this?

Hi and welcome to the forum.

We always advise on here to put down exactly what you spend. Things have gone up in the past couple of years so you should be able to claim a little more.

Best thing is to speak to your IP about it.

Have you had any increases in pay? Remember to be honest with your reviews,if you have been paying more for fuel and groceries etc then say so,and lets face it who hasnt noticed that cost of a trolley going up and up??

Paul

Yes i have had a pay increase since my last review, and have been paying in the additional funds. I just want to be as prepared as I can be. When the IVA was first taken out my twins were only 18 months old, so many household bills are rising with them. Would I need to show my till receipts?

You shouldnt need receipts to prove the cost of living has gone up,but if you are spending more on fuel etc its worth keeping receipts to send in. Dont be scared to ask for extra allowances,unless its starting to mean you cant pay your original amount planned.

Paul

I have to say that I do find this process very one sided, we have to pay more for food but have to collect all our receipts to prove this !!!!! Surely everyone knows that cost are going up and when the VAT rise come in we will be further out of pocket, I am all for paying as much back but we have to live to work to pay back what we can, this means eating and breathing or is that going to be hit by the IPs at review stage??

The problem with reviews is people often dont want to rock the boat and therefore keep quiet about increases in living costs. IP's have bills to pay to but wont suggest to you that you should up allowances,its up to those in IVA's to ask for an increase where appropriate.

Paul

You couldnt have summed it up better, i am afraid of rocking the boat even though i am ahead of plan.

I am with DFD and they ask for proof on anything that has increased by more than £10 per month, all of my household bills are paid via direct debit so the proof of this will be on my bank statements that they ask for each year, I have sent in reciepts for fuel increases for 2 reasons, one is I have to travel further now due to job change & also the rising cost in fuel itself.
The idea of the IVA is to pay what you can afford & I am sure your IP would not want you to struggle & risk your IVA failing.

I think the allowances on some things are ridiculously low. I have ben llowed just £21 PER MONTH for my dog. His food alone is £26 per month plus insurance plus flea and wor,ming and contingency for any vet fees. They say we need to cut down but we can't stop feeding our dog. Also things like haircuts....everyone needs their haircut...and not allownace is made for Xmas or birthdays. It is so unrealistic IMO.

The IPs are constrained by the CCCS who produce 'guidelines' which have not been updated in years. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do but the CCCS could review their 'guidelines' and help people.

All well and good but it means people are paying more than they can afford in some cases if their DI is showing higher than it actually is.

Is there a set amount that they allow per person on food then? I would be interested to know how it is calculated. Or is this part of the CCCS guidelines

The CCCS allow between £96 and £195 for a single person and various multiples for couples and families. This is to cover food, toiletries and cleaning so even the maximum can be quite tight for a single person living on their own.

I am assuming this is per month?