Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

Prudent

It depends on which system you are on. If its the new system where he pays a straight percentage, the mortgage payments won't be taken into account. Why would he want to avoid giving his children all they are entitled to?

AnnieH

Good point Prudent.

FairyElephant_2

Well Prudent, he's not trying to avoid paying anything, he has always paid as much as he could for his kids....

in fact he pays out over and above what he has to, and she is always getting the kids to beg him for extra to fund school trips etc or saying they can't go.... which of course he always gives in and leaves himslef skint, so I have used MY money for the last few years before we were even married, to take them all on holiday with us, buy them clothes, etc - despite the fact that we are pretty skint, and his ex has a massive house, new hubby & kid - who she got pregnant with whilst still married to my now-hubby and then chucked him out so new man could move in - and THEY have several foreign holidays every year and a much better standard of living than we do....but hey, I am not bitter now am I??????)

The point here is that my mother does not want to do this and me to use HER GIFT TO ME to reduce my mortgage payments, if in effect that would mean my hubby had to pay more to his ex - so in fact my mum's gift to me would be costing him more money, so be like my mum giving money to her! (does that make sense?!).

AnnieH

The best thing I can suggest to you is to look at the CSA website. You can calculate how much you should pay and take things into account
http://www.csa.gov.uk/new/calculate/
Hope this helps.

calleyw

As has been said if you are the old system pre march 2003 they take in to account your mortgage and half pension payments.

But if you are on the new system which is post march 2003 you are on a straight a percentage.

phantomrip: You will pay csa until the Child Benefit stops. But if they are anything like when my stepdaugther turned 19 she got lost in the system and when we queried and had a re-assesment as my husband has a younger child his payments nearly tripled.

Yours


Calley

phantomrip

question to anybody in the know,,,,,my son is 16 in August,ive been paying maintenance via the csa for approx 10yrs,having recently spoken to my son he tells me hes secured a job once leaving school in July,do i stop maintenance payments or will the csa contact me?,also it has come to my knowledge that my son has not been living with his mother for sometime now(approx 2yrs) and has been residing at his grandparents home,should i have still have been paying maintenance to his mother considering this?,Ive never tried to get out of paying maintenance but yet i feel i am being taken for a fool.

hobo28

Once he's 16 and no longer in full time education then you are no longer liable to pay maintenance. I'd stop then. i wouldn't rely upon the CSA to find their a**e in the dark so don't hold out for a letter.

As for son living with grandparents, I don't know. It would depend upon who they class as the parent with care. Technically its still the ex I suppose unless the grandparents had PR. Either way I wouldn't spend too much dwelling on it. Whats done is done.

iluvfreebies

Hi there
If i were you i would contact the CSA and ask them to investigate a coc's as you beleive the childs mother is no longer the principle carer. What they can do is determine who child benefit is being paid to and possible stop the case from now.
If your son decides to leave school in july call the agency as soon as you are aware as the date of contact is the one they take to close the case
Hope this helps

wigginsmum

We will pay maintenance for both my stepchildren until they leave fulltime education (presumably around 21 if they both go on to university), but once they turn 18, we will pay it directly to them and they will arrange to pay rent to DH's exwife if they're still living at home. Seems like a good opportunity for them to learn to handle money.

calleyw

Don't rely in the CSA to stop payments.

As two months after me stepdaughter turned 19 as she was still at college my husband queried if she was still on the books. And yes she was. It was up to us to remind them.

Yours


Calley