Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

elisebutt65

I only get £23 a week via the CSA for one of my sons so what's she's getting now is probably right.

CSA give 20% of the 'disposable' income. i.e whats left after he's paid his mortgage or rent, so if you go down the CSA route, don't get your hopes up.

LoLo

It all depends on how much he is earning and if he has the child over night on any days. The CSA can actually take up to 30% of his wage. My partner had to pay his ex £378 a month for one child and that was based on a wage of round about £17,000 a year.

Rikki

I have had so many problems with the CSA. my ex paid me a regular amount till they got involved. He stopped making any payments at all to me and fort the CSA every step of the way. He actually paid me more than they awarded me and it took me a very long time (years) before a got even a tiny payment. I have never receive any regular payments from the CSA as he has always been self employed and pleeded poverty. (two cars,Motorbike,3-4 holidays abroad each year.) I haven't received a payment from the CSA for over 4 years.

My advice would be to accept the regular payments. (While the two of you are being ammicable.) Ask him nicely for help towards the cost of school uniform and child care etc.



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chardonnay_2

post offices have a booklet on child maintenance & the csa. it states 15% of take home pay for one child and 20% for two and a maximum of 25% regardless of how many children. they do not take the absent parent's partners income into account. they do take into account if the child stays overnight with the absent parent, travelling expenses to see the child if the absent parent stays far away, and the amount can also be affected if the absent parent has any other children.

chardonnay_2

post offices have a booklet on child maintenance & the csa. it states 15% of take home pay for one child and 20% for two and a maximum of 25% regardless of how many children. they do not take the absent parent's partners income into account. they do take into account if the child stays overnight with the absent parent, travelling expenses to see the child if the absent parent stays far away, and the amount can also be affected if the absent parent has any other children.

Prudent

elisebutt65 wrote:

I only get £23 a week via the CSA for one of my sons so what's she's getting now is probably right.

CSA give 20% of the 'disposable' income. i.e whats left after he's paid his mortgage or rent, so if you go down the CSA route, don't get your hopes up.

This case would be assessed under the new system. It is not based on disposable income. It is based on take home income after all deductions including pension payments.

In this case it would be 20% of take home pay. With the exceptions already stated in the other posts.
The CSA has an online chart which allows you to work out an exact amount if you know the take home pay. These charts are also in their booklets.

Turning_into_scrooge

Before CSA came in think it was approx. £260 for one child but not much more for 2. I am going back here nearly 15 years :eek: but i think now the figure is something like 15% of the basic wage without any overtime added on. Please correct me if i'm wrong on this figure:think:. My ex partner gave me nothing for my son and because he worked abroad for an american company there was nothing that the courts could do, not even when the csa came into force :mad: .

Fruity

Hi.

Gotta be Honest, from the Payees point of View, The CSA should really be avoided. Lots of problems can arise when they are involved.

I believe that under the "New Scheme" the calculation is 20% of net income for 2 children with a single mother. So, £50 a week (£216 Per Month over a year) is about right for someone that takes home approx £250 per week, so if that is what your friends ex is earning, I wouldn't see any point in rocking the boat. Of course that is only if the children stay with the non-resident parent for less than 52 Nights in the year. Any extra Nights affect the calculation.

There are a few websites around with more information on the subject. Have a Google for "CSA calculator" and you should get some good results (http://www.childsupportanalysis.co.uk/assessment_calculators.htm being one).

One thing that your friend should remember is that The CSA just calculate a figure based on salary and don't care about any other aspects. A lot of good will and co-operation can be lost once they are involved.

+++++++++++++

Fruity.

hilstep2000

My ex and I decided between us, he pays me £200 a month for my two. Which is only £25 a week, although my daughter is now 18 he has agreed to pay the same amount till my son (15) leaves college, so I'm not complaining.
Ask him for somehing towards the uniforms, I do, and it's usually forthcoming, but then mine wasn't a nasty split.

Loobeylou

Many thanks to those who have responded. Having asked my friend, she states that she does not have any knowledge of where her ex partner presently works (he tends to chuck up jobs on a whim and move on). However when they were together - and with the overtime which he frequently did - he was on a pretty good amount. So, not knowing where he works, she has no idea what kind of money he is on now.

He does not have the children overnight more than three or four times per year, and rarely buys them clothes.

I can quite see that in going down the CSA route there is no doubt that she will be rocking the boat with this explosive person, but it is interesting to get the perspective of others who have been in the same position to get their take on the situation.