CSA - 2nd wife confused and worried. Help!!

Orchid

***Long Post Alert...sorry ****

I'm beside myself as I have no clue about the CSA.

My other half has 2 kids from his previous marriage. It would be an under statement to say that his Ex wants to destroy him (eg I've seen catalogue bills etc which she continued running up against his address, even some 2 years after she walked out on my hubby with the kids. His credit is totally wrecked as she kept on sabataging their previous home when he found buyers so in the end, the house was reposssessed)

My other half received a letter this morning from the CSA asking for not only his payslips from May 2005 (he is now out of work) but also MY wage slips.

My hubby is fully committed to supporting his kids but the fact is he is not working. He is on the "old scheme" and the questions seem to be geared to the old scheme (I don't really understand the rules)

I just do not understand why they want MY wage slips.
I love them to bits but want to stay out of the financial arrangements / support of his children.

Can someone please explain what is going on? Are you in the same situation as me? Or heard of someone else? What happened to you / them?

So what will happen if I don't give them my wage slips? Will he have to pay more when he starts working again?

What happens if I do give them my wage slip?

It just seems so unfair - as well as the emotional trama of dealing with a vindictive Ex-wife, I now have to deal with the CSA. Why? cos I fell in love with a man with children.

The other thing is we want to move house and buy another house (can only be in my name cos he can't get credit. Have a look at this post --> http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=125393). So now I am wondering........When my other half starts working again, will CSA treat him as having no housing costs as the mortgage would be in my name?

If anyone can help me, I would really appreciate it.

***apologies if I am rambling in parts or have typos ***

Bossyboots

As I understand it, the household income is taken into account as it would be if a court order was to be made for maintenance.

wigginsmum

Yes I'm in a similar situation to you. They ask for our wageslips to assess who's helping pay the living expenses for the ex-husband; you personally won't pay maintenance for the kids but the CSA want to make sure the ex-husband has a way of keeping a roof over his head. I'd send them if I were you.

Jules

Orchid

I'm still confused Bossyboots and Wigginsmum...

Bossyboots - really? but there are not my kids!

Wigginsmum - but why do they need my wage slip to prove that? surely all he has to do is declare his wages and his housing costs and that would give them their figures.

I just don't get it... :-(

windym_2

When we were assessed by the CSA I flatly refused to send my payslips. If I were you I wouldn't let them near them. And I would also send them your hubby's P45 to show he is not working. They can deduce what they want, but his assessment will be on his earnings at time of assessment.

If you do send your payslips they will take your income into consideration as 'household income' but you won't get to see what the ex-wifes new partner (if she has one) earns, as that doesn't count! Fair system. I don't think so.

wigginsmum

I can only tell you what we were told; at the time we were assessed, we were living in a house we rented together but which came out of my bank account, so maybe that had a bearing on it.

The only thing I can suggest is phone the CSA and ask why they need them, if it's not clear from the paperwork.

Jules

System

Unfortunately a lot of people are stuck on the old rules system which is what was in place before the government bought the big white elephant which is the new computer system (the same company, EDS, supplied the Tax Credit Office computer system). The CSA is currently in the process of transfering people over to the new system but as you can appreciate there are thousands of cases so it is taking some time, although it's currently 2 years since the new computer system was brought online and they still haven't finished the transfer. Unfortunately the old system requires the new partner to provide their wage slips too but the new system doesn't. The new system calculation is based solely on the net income of the parent paying the maintenance.

I would suggest your husband gets in contact with the CSA and advises them that although he was working in May he is now unemployed indeed he should have told them he was unemployed as soon as he lost his job.
I think though that the reason for the request for May payslips is probably to check his income and whether the assessment in place at that time was correct.
I think normally this type of review is prompted by contact by either of the parents. If his income had increased since his last assessment and he hadn't told the CSA then the amount he was paying would have been too little and he would owe more money and there would now be arrears.

Since your husband is now unemployed his liability would be vastly reduced and the arrears would have to wait to be collected until he was back in employment.

honey28

From what i can remember from working there several years ago they should only ask you for your wage slips if you have a child together? This may be wrong but it rings a bell. I'll try and check for you.
:xmastree:

little_lil

orchid, i have been in exactly the same situation and you do not need to give them details of your income although they will send all sorts of correspondence to you and your husband stating that you do. I felt at the time i was being intimidated by the csa as they even sent me recorded delivery letters asking for the information. My advice to you would be to research your rights, my partner and i did and we knew that my income was not relevant at that time. I am sure that the csa had information relating to partners income on their website - but it was well hidden. Don't bother phoning them as you will not have any record/proof of advice, always get everything in writing. Although they often loose that too!

This was under the old rules and we didn't have any children living with us at the time.

good luck

black-saturn

I would like to echo what the others have said. I would also like to say that the ex wife may not be as bad as your partner makes out. My ex partner told his new girlfriend that I had ordered stuff from the catalogue in his name and left him in deep debt. I wasnt true and since them me and her have become good friends. People want to make their ex's look like the bf/gf from hell and new bf's/gf's are too willing to believe it because it makes them feel safer.

pandas66

Quite right Black Saturn. I made friends a few years ago with an ex g/f of my ex husband as when he left I knew he'd left her in a mess, emotionally. We became good friends to this day and she didn't loose the 'step children' she bonded with for 5 years. He had told her many stories and 'fairy tales' about me, our marriage and even the children to boost his limp ego.
She had to prove her income to the csa as he went umemployed soon after they moved in together and did so to help.