Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

pandas66

jezbo wrote:

OK cheers Calley. I may talk it over with my ex anyway, she may agree that paying into extra accounts for the girl's future is a good idea, as long as she sets up and controls those accounts probably. But I want the girls to know they are there for their future too (and also for extra things like clubs, trips etc now). I don't think that's unreasonable.

I think you want to much control over how the maintenance is spent. Its for todays living expences and life not tomorrows, by all means set up extra accounts for a college fund or saving scheme, but it shouldn't come out of 1st familys 'allowance'. I pay into savings accounts for both my children as does my ex but that is none of my business how much/how often and for what! You can't get everything to fit into the csa calculations. Thats why there a pain in the !!!!!!!

jezbo

But she is quite capable of earning 30K+ with a full time job - but why should she when she gets just as much given to her working a few hours a week?

pandas66

she could alsp get a 2nd job on the weekends you have the girls, I presume she works part time so its around school hours, and the girls need raising don't they?

sammyy

jezbo wrote:

But she is quite capable of earning 30K+ with a full time job - but why should she when she gets just as much given to her working a few hours a week?

If your ex was to get a full-time job,would you be on hand for childcare before/after school and during holidays?Or is that not practical either?Childcare costs for two children are expensive.The cheaper option would be for your wife to work and earn £30k+ a year and be paying only one lot of childcare cost.(Thats if the amount of money YOU have to live on is the real issue ,rather than what your wife has)

Savvy_Sue

So it's OK if your ex wife has to work full-time and not be there for her children after school or in school holidays, but not acceptable if your current wife has to do the same? Is that what you're saying?

liney

If you earn 50k, after paying your ex you have 2k per month after tax left according to an online calculator.

You think it's unreasonable for your ex to need 700 quid, but reasonable for your new wife to need 2k per month??

jezbo

Savvy_Sue wrote:

So it's OK if your ex wife has to work full-time and not be there for her children after school or in school holidays, but not acceptable if your current wife has to do the same? Is that what you're saying?

And you are saying that it's ok for my wife to have to work full time, and be denied being with her baby day to day til he goes to school (something that I paid for my ex to do, yes she was even my ex then), while its ok for that ex to only work part time? Is that what YOU are saying ?

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I'm really saddened by this. You are unhappy about giving your daughters money and you won't give them much of your time either. What did they do to deserve being treated like this?

Spendless

I did a long post and then computer crashed and I lost it. Anyway maintainance payments aren't taken into account for the purpose of tax credits. Whether that is right or wrong that's the way the system is. If you think the system is wrong you should complain to your MP and maybe the situation will eventually change, maybe it won't.As calley has pointed out while ever your ex receives WTC she has a nil income, so until she earns more you will be paying same, only if exes income starts to be taken into account may you find yourself paying less. You can't force your ex to take a full time better paid job.

If you want suggestions on how to cut current costs what about knocking 2 year old down to 1 morning a week at nursery with a view to upping it once he turns 3 and gets the non-means tested funding, or look into childcare vouchers (Martin has an article about them) which would reduce nursery costs, esp since you must be a 40% tax payer. You could also ask on travel board about flights to see if you could get them cheaper.

calleyw

jezbo wrote:

And you are saying that it's ok for my wife to have to work full time, and be denied being with her baby day to day til he goes to school (something that I paid for my ex to do, yes she was even my ex then), while its ok for that ex to only work part time? Is that what YOU are saying ?

If as another poster has said you have 2K after paying out CSA payments. I think you need to take a look in wards at what you are spending your money on.

You are claiming you live in a smaller house etc than you ex. But if you are as you claim going in to debt after paying this money out. You need to look at you own money management as 2K is lot of money to spend every month. An income I am sure that a lot posters on these forums can only dream of.

And according to you children don't cost a lot. So how can a wife and one child cost you so much money.

See it is swings and aroundabouts.

If you had payments of £750 a month and was only earning £1000 a month then I could see problems ahead.

At the moment my household has less than a £1000 a month after tax income. And we have to pay a mortgage on a 3 bedroom house bought only back in march, run a car and pay csa payments as well. And we manage.

Yours

Calley