www.iva.co.uk

Hello everyone,
Firstly I want to apologise for going off the radar. Since my IVA was approved in May things have been ticking over fine. I have popped on a few times, but not posted, so I am sorry.

I have a question now though - its really just hypothetical at the moment and I am just info gathering. I am thinking of undertaking a course that will allow me to practice as a doula (birth support for pregnant/labouring and postnatal women). I believe this will give me experience and knowledge that I will hopefully take with me when I (eventually) start my midwifery training.
Now I will be able to charge for being a doula, but I have no idea how much work I will get from it. I could get one woman, I could get two in 6 months, or I could get loads, or none. How will this affect my IVA? Will I have to declare when I gain a client and how much of this income will I be able to keep (if any). I currently do not work, and my husband is main earner for household (IVA is soleley in my name).
Thanks for any advice you can give
xxxx

Hello again .... No need to worry about not posting....we're always here when needed!

I would imagine that until you have a continual a nd regular salary from your doula role that additional income will be reviewed as nd when it s received.

I presume that while training to do this payment into your current IVA is not an issue ?

Speak to your own IP for specific case advice as your proposal documents will talk about additional work and payments.

Let us know how you get on !

I should have said, the course is only 5 days long. Our income and expenditure is based on husbands wage and our tax credits/CB, so payments wont be affected. Its the income side that I was concerned about.

If you start to generate any form of income you need to advise your IP who will be able to let you know how they intend to treat the income. It ought to be included in the family income and expenditure, but this could be diffiult if it is irregular and cannot be relied upon. As a safe bet, I would set aside 50% of the earnings, after you have deducted any additional expenditure you may incur in the business, and ask your IP how they want you to account for this.

Thanks Melanie, thats great. I will inform Sue, if this is something I progress with
xxx

I thought you were one of ours!!!