Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

urban_spirit

Has anyone looked on the csa wabsite for answers? I can see at least two posts that can get more info from their website.

Things have to be 100% verified for csa to use them as their decisions are made within child support law. As pants at the outcomes are, the law is so stupidly obstructive and complicated it hinders the very thing it was set up to do.

And who makes the laws???? Not local csa offices or staff, but your friendly neighbourhood MP's.

The csa is going nowhere for at least 2 years. It will stay in place til 2008, but mp's are expecting it to be more like 2010 - thats 4 more years. This info is from MY local mp.

hilstep2000

Just thought I'd put the other side. The CSA is the largest employer in Hastings. There are 1200 people working there. It's a horrible job, (I got a job there, but decided to turn it down) you get people shouting at you over the phone all day, the computer system is crap, and just when you track someone down, they move, and it has to start all over again.
Hasings is below the national average for wages, (I only earn £8000 a year) and the DWP are the best payers around. So spare a thought for tose who work there, they're not all bad!

madmagic_2

Hi

This is my 1st post- so sorry if it`s in the wrong place.Or long!

Here is the back ground.
:mad:

When I meet my hubbie he was divorced with 2 children, she left him for another man.
They had a court order for maintenance and agreed on a sum, 1/2 of the amount was payable for each child.
However oldest has now left colleague and is going to uni. Hubbie is therefore going to stop paying maintenance for oldest, and pay half what he was paying for the other now 16.Which is what the court order says.
The amount he was paying for the oldest he is going to put in a bank a/c, so when the oldest leaves uni, she can pay it off her student loan.However if he has to pay more maintenace for youngest he will not be able to do this.Ex does not seem to care-she wants the money-even if it is at cost of other daughter.

Result is ex wife is not happy saying that she can not afford to keep eldest-making it uncomfortable for her at home- she rings in tears and looks like she may end up living with us. Plus she wants extra for the youngest because she `costs` more to keep.Probably beacause she has £80 hair cuts and new clothes every week! I wish I could.

Ex has rung him and said that she is going to CSA for more money. Hubbie is upset and so am I. He has always paid his maintenance and never missed a payment-when we had a family he never applied to reduce his payments although he could have, saying I agreed to pay her £x so will continue to do so-even though it was a struggle for us to manage.

She does have the money to keep the children- she is still with bloke she left him for and they have a larger income than we do.She works part time and is not on benefits.

Question is will the CSA take on her claim? and if so how long is it likely to take?

I have used the online calculator and the amount he would have to pay will be increased. It is not that he does not want to pay for his children but it all seems unfair. She agreed to the court order in which the amount did not increase, but is not happy now.

Sorry for such long post.

We were thinking about moving-it would have been tight-but if he does have to pay more- we will not be able to afford it.

wigginsmum

I'm not sure what the situation will be with the outgoing CSA, but we're in a similar situation. My eldest stepchild is coming up 17 and is starting college (and presumably then onto university - we have agreed informally that we will pay maintenance until he finishes his degree). Once he reaches 18, we will give the maintenance that DH pays to his ex to him instead, and he will be responsible for negotiating housekeeping with his mother. It won't cost us any more as we'll be paying the same amount regardless.

I would have said as your stepdaughter is now at uni, she should be learning to handle her own money (that's the theory, anyway!). Why not give the money to her directly? What would the ex say to that?

madmagic_2

When my hubbie 1st said he was going to `pay` his daughter `her` half of the maintenance his ex told him not to pay it to her direct as she would spend it on going out and clothes.
So it was agreed that it would be paid into a bank a/c-it would be his contribution to her extended education-and that he would use it to pay off her loan.

Ex now wants him to pay it to daughter in cash each month- ex is then saying she will charge daughter 75 0/0 of it in board.

Daughter does have a part time job and earns £200-£300 a month- I agree that she should pay board, but do not think it should come for maintence money.Her father`s contribution is towards any expenses incurred and mothers contribution is board and lodings. Although she should pay a contribution to household-say broadband bill-as she is main user.

Like you say you will still be paying the same amount- like we will, only 1/2 will go to mother for 1 child and the other half to the adullt child.

Ex has already told daughter she should think of moving out because she is taking `their` money!!

But I always thought maintenace was for the child- not to fund her lifestyle?

hjb123

madmagic wrote:

But I always thought maintenace was for the child- not to fund her lifestyle?

You would of thought so wouldnt you! I would of thought that the maintenance is for the child but thats not how some people think!

kelloggs36

hi, she could make a claim to the CSA - there is nothing to stop her. The assessment would be based upon the following:

Your husband's net income (income less tax, national insurance and any pension contributions).

if you have any children in your household who are under 18 years old, there will be a reduction of 15%, 20%, or 25% (1, 2 or more children)

The calculation of maintenance would be 15% of the remainder.

For example, if your husband's net income was 300 per week and you have no children in your household, then he would be asked to pay 45 per week for his daughter.

if you have 1 child in your house, based upon 300 per week, he would have to pay 38.25. If you have 2 children, it would be 36 per week and if you have 3 or more children he would have to pay 33.75 per week.

Bear in mind that his older daughter could apply to the Court for him to maintain her through university as the CSA does not have jurisdiction to ask for this.

your cirucumstances and that of your husband's ex or partner are not taken into consideration at all, so if she were a millionaire, she could still ask for maintenance and there is a legal requirement for the father/mother to pay.

When the CSA closes, it will just be replaced with another, so not much will change really because the situation is already there for private clients to choose to claim or not and they only do when there is a dispute.

If you have any other queries re CSA please post and I will reply

missk_ensington

What worries me having read the proposals for CSA reform, is that they encourage payments to be made amicably between parents. This is going to end up in disaster- half won't pay and many more will be like my ex- pays for a few months and then if he doesn't like something, will just stop paying. Its easier for me that CSA take it from his wages, because left up to him he';s forget/not pay we'd be having "disputes" every 6 months and I don't think I could handle the stress!

OP are you sure you put correct details in? Do you and partner have any children?

dumpy

I'm going to be cheeky here and butt in if I may? My step daughter (mentioned on previous thread) has just moved in with us full time and is working full time but the CSA is still insisting that we pay her mother?! No other children still at home with mum, I can't get my head round that one....

missk_ensington

Dumpy- refuse to pay, if she is under 19 and in full time education SHE should be paying you!