Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

dottyanne

:mad: Ok - so let's just say the CSA have, for the last 4 years made a TOTAL hash of everything, lost and misinformation - absolute imcompetence - and then you get a brainwave and decise - OK lets sit down be adults and sort it between ourselves - well we have done - spoke to CSA and guess what ???

They can't even get the simple task of closing down a case right - they have tried and keep getting errors - we stated thsi is not good enough - as the nrp has had more than his fair share of hassle and !!!! ups with them - to be honest after tons of phone calls theyve sent a letter saying that to all intents and purposes the case is closed and no money is owed to rp and that once they do manage to close the case we will get another letter to confirm this - only a government body would get away with this - imagine what the government would do to an organisation with such incompetence if it were not run by them - the morons!!


WHAT A JOKE !!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

shaunc196

Hi All,

Well this is very new to me. Recently split up with wife after 14yrs, and have 3 lovely angels. Now my problem is, like in another thread on here, I have been left with the serious debt problems we have. Secured Loan, Mortgage and cards.

Now she knows that I cannot afford to pay her anything ( I would if I could ) but for her to Qualify for Income Support, she has to consent them going to the CSA?

So with nothing left at the end of the month, keeping the house above water, what will the CSA do to me. Approx, how long does it take for CSA to inform me of proceedings, etc etc.

I know there is alot of fathers out there, that don't pay ( my own was one ) and I would give my kids my last penny and go without electric if it meant thats all I had.

Just trying to prepare myself for the unknown.

Thanks in advance

Ystrad_Lad

shaunc196

Sorry to hear of your predicament. The CSA will take several weeks to contact you after your ex contacts them. They will first ask you to confirm paternity of the three children. Once you confirm paternity they will contact you again giving you an effective date for the claim. This is the date from which your liability starts. If they are still in full time education (not university) or pre-school, you will be assessed at 25% of your net pay. Net means gross pay less tax, NI and pension contributions. Your debts aren't normally taken into account however you may be able to argue for a variation if the debts were incurred by you both while you were together - but you may not be successful in this.

If you are PAYE there is no way of avoiding payments. Self employed seem to be able to wriggle out of paying much (from what I've seen). If you are on benefits or low income then payments are reduced. Check out the CSA website which will tell you how much you have to pay.

The CSA can take ages to work out how much you need to pay but will then ask you to pay from that effective date. In the mean time, if you pay anything to your ex, make sure that you state clearly in writing that it is for child maintenance otherwise the CSA won't take it into account. Lump sums paid are not usually accepted by the CSA.

Good luck.

shaunc196

Thank you for that. I have had a look around the website and they calculate that I should be paying £97 per week:eek:

After bills, debts and essential items, I am left with £50....PER MONTH:o

All the debts I have taken on, have been done by the both of us. The secured loan, the cards, are all in BOTH our names. So would they look at it this way?

If so, then I am in no rush to get her off the Loan Agreement or Mortgage, just yet

kelloggs36

If she asks to opt out of CSA she would lose 40% of her personal allowance of her income support leaving her with 23 quid per week to live on plus allowances for children etc. UNLESS she can show that she will be at risk from undue harm or distress if they pursue you.

In answer to your query as to your liability, you will be asked to pay 25% of your net income which takes your gross income and takes off tax, national insurance and 100% of any pension contributions you make.

Unfortunately your debts cannot be taken into consideration, nor your housing costs.

Ystrad_Lad

I've been waiting 15 months to get my overpayments back because they got my initial assessment wrong.

The good news is that the CSA will be closed down in 4 or 5 years time. The bad news is that the body that will replace them will use a different formula which I think for three children is 20% of gross salary - no deductions allowed.

shaunc196

One option then. Go Bankrupt

Ystrad_Lad

Don't rush to take her name off the loan agreements etc. That will form part of the financial declaration in the divorce.

The CSA won't automatically consider the joint loans for a variation order. You will have to fight it.

Why are you shouldering all the responsibility for repaying them if they are in joint names?

newcook

shaunc196 wrote:

One option then. Go Bankrupt

or go for custody yourself...

shaunc196

That has crossed my mind so many time as well. But we don't have a fighting chance in Court with kids, do we

I am paying them as:

a) She has no money, she doesn't work, and she is looking after my children

b) We agreed that if I take on the loan etc, then she would not ask for Maintence for the Children

I think I have just found out, that Maintenance and CSA are different things, and I have been shafted