help,desperately needed!!!

littlemisscarole

Please can someone give me some advice, When myself and partner took out mortgage it was tight but affordable but since then he has been re-assessed by the C.S.A and his payments have trebled!!!!! Our mortgage and other debts that we so very carefully budgeted for are now at risk as we cannot afford to pay everything now.
If we sell up, there is a 7000.00 penalty on the mortagage which would put us into debt that we cannot afford.
Can anyone advise please. We're desperate.
carole

calleyw

Are you getting all the benefits like tax credits etc that your are entitled.

Have you asked for it be looked at again. As a lot of assessments are wrong.

If you are on the new system then go to the csa web page and put your details in. That will tell you how much you should be paying.

Don't take this the wrong way but for the assesment to triple your OH wages have to have gone a a few thousands.

Please don't think I am siding the CSA as I am second wife and my husband has children so know what it is like.

Don't know what else to say.

Yours

Calley

johannamse

Hey littlemisscarole,

Post your post in the debt free wannabee board. Although you are not technically in debt, people over there will be able to help you cut back, and evaluate your finances.

It would be helpful if you could post a statement of affairs, with ALL income/outgoings on.

Good Luck.

littlemisscarole

calleyw wrote:

Are you getting all the benefits like tax credits etc that your are entitled.

Have you asked for it be looked at again. As a lot of assessments are wrong.

If you are on the new system then go to the csa web page and put your details in. That will tell you how much you should be paying.

Don't take this the wrong way but for the assesment to triple your OH wages have to have gone a a few thousands.

Please don't think I am siding the CSA as I am second wife and my husband has children so know what it is like.

Don't know what else to say.

Yours

Calley

We are not entitled to any benefits and are not interested in claiming any. My OH wages have not increased since his last assessment but his outgoings have gone up as we have got a mortgage since then.
He is on the old system unfortunately so I believe they can take as much as 40% of his income as a rule of thumb.
Every time we ask for it to be looked at again the amount seems to go up so we really don't know where we stand.
Thanks for your reply it's sometimes just nice to know your not the only ones.
carole

calleyw

littlemisscarole wrote:

We are not entitled to any benefits and are not interested in claiming any. My OH wages have not increased since his last assessment but his outgoings have gone up as we have got a mortgage since then.
He is on the old system unfortunately so I believe they can take as much as 40% of his income as a rule of thumb.
Every time we ask for it to be looked at again the amount seems to go up so we really don't know where we stand.
Thanks for your reply it's sometimes just nice to know your not the only ones.
carole

Not entirely correct they are not allowed to take more than 30% of your income after deductions or the difference between disposable and protected income. I should know as my husband is on the old system.

They are suppose to take in to consideration mortgage/rent, pensions as well.Do they have that information if not then let them know. As they missed out my husbands private pension one time.

The only thing that I know that makes the assesments go up is if you are earning more money. Do you work and are your wages taken in to consideration. As on the old system that is allowed but not on the new one.

We have just been through it when my husbands eldest came off and they took his slightly higher wages in to consideration and the amount he had paid for two become nearly triple for 1. Made no sense to us. Husband got a lower paid job when we moved so it now nearly half.

The old system is very complicated and even the spreadsheets my husband download kept giving him different amounts even when putting in the same info.

It is hard and most of the people working at the CSA have no idea how the assesement is worked out and only read off a screen. I feel sorry for them not a job I would do for any money.

Not sure what else to say but it does not last for ever. As before my husband changed jobs we where being left with £40 a month after all bills had been paid. As I don't work at the moment. I know there are a few posters on these boards that believe that is tough luck and you should go with out because it is your fault that you are with an absent parent. And the absent parent should be made to pay all there money over and have no life or anything.

If you want to have rant please do feel free to PM me. As I know how hard it is.

Take care

Yours

Calley

littlemisscarole

calleyw wrote:

Not entirely correct they are not allowed to take more than 30% of your income after deductions or the difference between disposable and protected income. I should know as my husband is on the old system.

They are suppose to take in to consideration mortgage/rent, pensions as well.Do they have that information if not then let them know. As they missed out my husbands private pension one time.

The only thing that I know that makes the assesments go up is if you are earning more money. Do you work and are your wages taken in to consideration. As on the old system that is allowed but not on the new one.

We have just been through it when my husbands eldest came off and they took his slightly higher wages in to consideration and the amount he had paid for two become nearly triple for 1. Made no sense to us. Husband got a lower paid job when we moved so it now nearly half.

The old system is very complicated and even the spreadsheets my husband download kept giving him different amounts even when putting in the same info.

It is hard and most of the people working at the CSA have no idea how the assesement is worked out and only read off a screen. I feel sorry for them not a job I would do for any money.

Not sure what else to say but it does not last for ever. As before my husband changed jobs we where being left with £40 a month after all bills had been paid. As I don't work at the moment. I know there are a few posters on these boards that believe that is tough luck and you should go with out because it is your fault that you are with an absent parent. And the absent parent should be made to pay all there money over and have no life or anything.

If you want to have rant please do feel free to PM me. As I know how hard it is.

Take care

Yours

Calley

thanks calley, we just want to pay our own way and support his child and get on with our lives, possibly children of our own.
I wish I had as much knowledge as you it must be a great help.
Sometimes you just get fed up with it all and want to dissappear!
Thanks again
carole

hobo28

And the absent parent should be made to pay all there money over and have no life or anything.

Yeah but usually those people have never been a single parent or are the one who are going to receive the money. I've been on both sides and its not easy. I didn't mind paying a fair amount for my kids but I resent paying so much that it means my new family doesn't have enough to live whilst my ex gets to go out all the time and have fancy holiday's abroad.

Luckily my kids now live with me and all of a sudden my ex has gone from demanding £500 a month from me to giving me £30 a month which doesn't even cover dinner money for both kids. Hmmmmm, funny how when the tables are turned people suddenly see things differently

Xbigman

Can you post the details of your assessment? There could be any number of reasons it has gone up. First thought, is the mortgage in joint names and you work? That could make a big difference.

I thought they were moving people to the new system if a re assessment was done. It might be worth asking about this if you would be better off. IE one child is 15% of net income, 2 is 20%, 3+ is 25%. Unfortunately I must advise not getting up your hopes too much on them changing their assessment. You need to budget for the current assessment and tough it out. If you post a details of your income and expenditure we can have a look and advise you where you might cut back.
Regards



X

calleyw

Xbigman wrote:

I thought they were moving people to the new system if a re assessment was done. It might be worth asking about this if you would be better off. IE one child is 15% of net income, 2 is 20%, 3+ is 25%. Unfortunately I must advise not getting up your hopes too much on them changing their assessment. You need to budget for the current assessment and tough it out. If you post a details of your income and expenditure we can have a look and advise you where you might cut back.
Regards



X

Only the PWC can ask for you to moved to the new system as would have been better off on the new system and was told no and that was a about two months ago. And in the last few months we have had several re-assesments due to changes in cirumstances. And we have not be moved over.

Unless pushed by the PWC they will not move you over.


Yours

Calley

calleyw

littlemisscarole wrote:

thanks calley, we just want to pay our own way and support his child and get on with our lives, possibly children of our own.
I wish I had as much knowledge as you it must be a great help.
Sometimes you just get fed up with it all and want to dissappear!
Thanks again
carole

Carole,

There are few things that will make an assessment go up:

1) more income
2) having the children to stay less nights
3) you as wife/partner refusing to give wage info -personally I find it highly offensive as on the new system the wifes/partner income is not taken in to account and neither is the PWC.

Having all this knowledge does not help when you are banging your head against a brick wall trying to get things sorted out.

As I said before if you want to PM then do so by all means. It is very hard to cope with this alone. And if at least you know someone else who has or is dealing with it, it does help.

Also I am sure that you are aware that if you have children of you own you are could be entitled to tax credits and they will taken in account with the CSA when the time comes.

Any further questions please do ask.

Yours

Calley

asandwhen

My partner is on the new system and they way way way over estimated her earnings (took 3 years bonus as 1 year) - this was in 2003 - we are still paying this amount - we have asked several times for a re assesment and have one going through at the moment (since jun 2004) we ring once or twice a week to chase it up and always get told your case worker is unavailable at the moment and he is the only one who can deal - they have had new wage slips to prove her income but still nothing - WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?