Who can get info? 11 October 2005 at 9:14PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Child Support 8 replies 1.7K views

jos_4

My ex is being completely unfair he is saying i make enough from work and tax credits so he wants to cut his maintenance. He wants me to tell him exactly how much tax credit i get, i said no way but he says that as he works for a credit company then he can get info anyway. I'm sure he is making this up but who is able to access this info, does anybody know?

Bossyboots

I would imagine that if he used his employment to obtain this sort of info then that would be a disciplinary offence. Is this child maintenance? If so, then it is irrelevant what you bring in as that should not diminish his responsibility to provide for his child.

Savvy_Sue

I don't know who can access this info, but if he were to do so it would be a serious breach of his company's confidentiality policy / data protection policy etc etc etc. So if you suspect that he has got the info, make a complaint. Tell him you will do that as well.

CIS

The only people with access are the Tax Credit people themselves. If the maintenace is through the CSA, tell them as they wont be happy if he cuts it, otherwise tell him you'll get the CSA involved if he doesn't pay

bonnie_2

his responsibility lies with his children not with how much money you are getting it is none of his buisness and does not come into it.i would get the csa on to him i have never recieved a penny for my daughter even though he has now got 3 other kids by 3 different women so fight for what is your childrens right.

Alleycat

My friend recently had a similar problem with her ex. He wasn't asking what she earnt etc, but wanted to cut the amount he was paying for their twins by a third. Their arrangement was not through the CSA but through a legal agreement with solicitors.

They had to go to court (an informal meeting with a judge) but was dismissed (yay for friend!!) as the ex earnt far too much to drop the amount to what he wanted to pay.

From what I understand the process of your ex negotiating a reduction in maintenance depends on how it was arranged, i.e. CSA or in my friends case through solicitors.

It is irrelevant how much you earn or get from tax credits. At the end of the day your child is half his responsibility and he will have to pay accordingly. Its quite complicated but from advice received here recently it is 15% of his income for one child (somebody tell me off if I'm wrong!). If he has had subequent children with whom he is living you would need to deduct (again, I think) 15% then take your 15% from whats left (thats assuming he only has one other child.

Anyway, if he is threatening to find out through his work, this would be an immediately sackable offence due to data protection. If I were you, I would remind him (in the politest possible way of course!!) of this and that you would have no qualms about reporting him, should he get this information.

Good luck!

Alley

CIS

starts at 15%, see here http://www.csa.gov.uk/newcsaweb/calculate.asp

jos_4

CIS wrote:

The only people with access are the Tax Credit people themselves. If the maintenace is through the CSA, tell them as they wont be happy if he cuts it, otherwise tell him you'll get the CSA involved if he doesn't pay

Do you know this for certain as would hate to threaten him with solictors and the like when he would still have the power to do so.

Maintenance is not through the CSA just drawn up between ourselves, but obviously i will have to rethink this.

Fran

Yes it looks like you do need to rethink this as he could keep changing his mind and you need to know where you stand. You don't need to mention solicitors, just that the CSA can work it out if he is not going to keep to the agreement.