Maintenance payments.... what should they cover ?

silkysmooth69 · 10 March 2007 at 7:36PM

i claimed income support whilst he was at collage he only started working when we moved in together thats when case was closed but last week getting a bill for over 3 grand he was only at collage 2 years then and 2 months of that we was living together as a couple and paying rent

there are people i know who have managed to avoid the csa for years and years and lie throgh there teeth and people like us trying to live get hit its wrong

Zara33 · 10 March 2007 at 7:48PM

silkysmooth69 wrote: »

i claimed income support whilst he was at collage he only started working when we moved in together thats when case was closed but last week getting a bill for over 3 grand he was only at collage 2 years then and 2 months of that we was living together as a couple and paying rent

there are people i know who have managed to avoid the csa for years and years and lie throgh there teeth and people like us trying to live get hit its wrong

Ok lets see if i have read this correctly

You and your boyfriend did not live together, but you had a child together, for 2 years he attended college and you claimed income support for 2 years, i am assuming you claimed as a single parent?
Was your boyfriend working whilst he was at college?
That 2 years your boyfriend was at college he was still a father.

I do not believe you have been "hit" i believe your boyfriend has outstanding debt to the state that he is required to pay regardless of how many other people that you know who dodge this.

silkysmooth69 · 10 March 2007 at 7:54PM

i know that but he was not working so why should he pay now? when he has supported us for years why should they be allowed to take away everything we have forcing us to claim benifits when we dont want to but have no choice we could lose our house and everything over this and they dont seem to care dont think no one does

and he has worked so hard after collage he was learning a career but the goverment seemed to think he should have been out working for some !!!!!! wage to support me and my son then getting a career its wrong im not going to reply to this tread anymore as i to angry and had enough the csa dont seem to realise how much they effect and tear familys apart and yes its true couse they are causing us to not been able to support our house and children and its wrecking our marrage

Zara33 · 10 March 2007 at 8:15PM

silky seriously i don't understand why you are so angry and upset.
Many fathers work for some "sh!tty wage" to support their wife and family why do you think you should be any different?

mrsspendalot · 10 March 2007 at 8:24PM

When I had my daughter I tried to claim income support and my boyfriend was at University, so very similar situation. I was told by the benefits office that because we were a couple one of us had to be working. I explained that I had just had a baby and that my boyfriend was at Uni and they said it doesn't matter - when you are a couple one of you has to work or claim JSA. He couldn't claim JSA because he was a full time student. We therefore also had to live apart, I claimed IS as a single parent, he went to Uni, and the CSA had to assess him for maintenance. I guess this is what you have also done?

Prudent · 11 March 2007 at 11:59AM

Silky. I assume your hubby is being assessed because he had an income at that time. He must have lived on something while he was at college.

I am still a little confused by where you are coming from. Your hubby owes money back to the state because it supported his child through that time. why would he not reasonably expect to pay the state back?

Your hubby has surely benefited rather than lost out. By going to college he got a better paid job. If the state hadn't helped out he would have had to get a job. He would not have had the opportunity to train for a better paid job. He therefore has gained. It is the same principle as repaying a student loan.

You are not being forced onto benefits. You could choose simply to work overtime or live on less. I live on £850 per month and live well thanks to mse.

I am not coming atthis from the position of an affluent tax payer resenting the support of a single parent. I am a single parent myself of a child with mild difficluties. I work full time in a high stress and demanding job to pay for my child, as she is my responsibility. I am fine about single parents being on benefits. I work with children whose parents haven't been there for them - and they are a mess. I would not be working if my child was very young or had more severe difficulties or if I had lots of children. I would however expect the state to ensure that the child's father made a fair contribution. Parents are responsible for providing as much as they can for their own children.

MJMum · 11 March 2007 at 12:21PM

kelloggs36 · 11 March 2007 at 12:49PM

When you made a claim for Income support, what was your husband doing at THAT time? If he was working at all, then he would be assessed on that wage. If he was a student at that time and can prove that he had no income other than his student loan, then he should have been exempt, but it depends on what kind of student he was. If he was at university AND working, then his assessment can be assessed on the income that he had earned, not his loan though.

What most people have said here is right, you chose to live your life the way that you did. It was not absolutely necessary to choose to live apart, but this option you took as it was open to you. It is not the responsibility of the State to support parents who choose to live apart because it makes life easier for them. It is there to help when there is no other choice. It is therefore both your responsibility to support your children, and this is why he has been asked to pay. WHat I would say though, is check the figures to see if they are correct at the time. Many students work to earn a living on top of their student loan, and if this is the case, then he would have been assessed on this.

However, if your case was assessed BEFÒRE he became a student, and he failed to notify them of his change in circumstances at the time, then it is too late and the assessment must stand as it is the responsibility of the NRP to notify the CSA of any changes which could affect their assessment.

Caz312 · 14 April 2007 at 7:40PM

Just found this whilst searching for the same answer as partner currently having same issue with ex

2 children 12+14 both senior school
Ex's partner and his 2 children moved in with her so 2 adults, 4 teenagers in the house
my partner pays £475 per month CM
his ex claims benefits as a single parent (HB, CTC etc) - says can't find a job despite 'looking' for 18 months. Now saying as youngest is getting into bother at school means she can't/won't get a job.

Children live 500 miles away so all travel costs - him traveling south or bringing them north paid by him (approx another £200 per month)
Up till recently he was paying a voluntary SM of £325 pm also however this impacted that affordability to see his children, and the fact she was cohabitting meant this was stopped to allow him to afford to see his children more often.
She has been on the phone today asking for £4 each per day for school dinners and money for uniform. She plays on his conscience as the last poster says but it is frustrating that she expects 100% of the child costs to come from the father or government and is not prepared to contribute herself. She is a heavy drinker and smoker and he guesses that is where much of the CM goes!
She also makes a big point in spending £100s for the childrens b/days and xmas (new laptops, expensive mobiles, dvd players etc), making her such a wonderful monther in their eyes where he is seen as mean (they obviously don't realise where her 'income' comes from)

How can he get the message through about 'extras' having to be budgetted for without all out war?

MJMum · 15 April 2007 at 12:02PM

Maintenance payments.... what should they cover ?

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