Hi tigh,

One of the benefits of bankruptcy is that if your payment has to reduce, or if you become unable to pay anything at all, this will not interrrupt the successful conclusion of the process.

I don't know exactly how your trustee will apportion your joint bills and exepenses based upon the reduction of your partner's disposable income. However, your individual monthly payments certainly shouldn't add up to more than your new and reduced joint disposable income.

Hi Tigh. Can I just check - you are not being asked to contribute more than the amount you are receiving from your works pension are you? You certainly shouldn't be, as it is only non-benefit income that can be required to be paid.

Thanks for your quick responses.
Kevin, my payment is £100 per month less than my works pension, but with my partner now being on SSP their income has been reduced considerably, until they return to work. So, obviously our overall income is greatly reduced because of this.

OK that's fine then. I would expect that your payment would be reduced too, though it might depend on what basis they worked it out in the first place.

Thanks for the information Kevin. We have not had any change in circumstances since beginning this process at the end of 2019. In fact, even although our outgoings have increased (like everyone elses because of cost of living), we have still remained paying the same amount every month. I suppose I will now have to wait until I hear from our Trustee, about how much we need to pay going forward until partner is fit to return to work.

Hi,
Further to my earlier postings this month. I have submitted a wage slip for my partners SSP, and copies of sick notes, which now cover until mid July, but I haven’t heard anything from our trustee with regards to how much the payments will be (it’s due on 8 July). Is this normal, and does it take weeks to work out the payment when a change in circumstances like this happens. I have sent a few emails, but have heard nothing, and I’m now becoming anxious not knowing what we need to pay this month.
Can anyone give any advice?

Hi Tigh. I imagine the firm dealing with your sequestrations is handling a lot of requests just now regarding contribution levels, given how much the rise in the cost of living is impacting everyone. Perhaps they have hit a bit of a backlog in dealing with them.

Maybe a quick call to them detailing your concerns might help shuffle you to the top of their pile? Or they may suggest a temporary solution until they get to your cases, such as a suspension on your contributions until they can be recalculated.

Sorry to hijack thread but I have on paper a good wage but the cost of living is crippling me and my partner but how much room would I have to stand on to ask about a reduction in contributions ?

No harm in asking, 1985debt. If you can show that the contributions you are being asked for a not affordable due to a change in your circumstances beyond your control (ie rise in the cost of living) then the trustee should reduce your payments accordingly - though there are guidelines as to what is seen as reasonable living costs, which they will take into account in any decision they make.