Any advice for my arrears Payments

apywell

Hi

Just to set the picture, I am an absent father who has always paid for my 2 children with my ex and always on time because it is the right thing to do. I always kept the CSA upto date with my job suituation as I never wanted to be owing any arrears. The child support case is now closed as my youngest turned 19.

OK now my problem. I have nearly 6k of arrears because the CSA took 13 months to processs my initial claim and then didn't update my assessment when I started a new job. As far as I know the arrears are all owed to the government because my ex was on benifits. About 3 months ago I asked if the CSA could supply me with a breakdown of how the arrears had accumilated. I am still waiting even though I was promised this document would take about a week to process. Now the CSA are phoning me as they say a breakdown has been posted a few days ago and they need to secure payment on the arrears. They know I have a Credit Card limit of 6k on one card because they can see this on their system. I know they want the 6k in one lump sum but there is no way I am putting this on my CC.... just who do they think they are?

Does anyone know what my options are as they are phoning me back this Friday? I mean, can I insist that I pay over 2yrs?

No ex bashing here please as I have said... I have paid everything I was told to, and my ex is not complaining.

This is just about paying the government for the CSAs incompetence. :mad:

Thanks

kelloggs36

They can offer you the chance to pay on your credit card but they can't insist. What can you offer? If you can come up with a small lump sum and then offer the rest over 2 years, that is an option. Alternatively, is 40% of your net income less than the £250 per month it would take to pay it off within 2 years?

nician

Hi, I've had a similar problem myself. I've looked into this & even though this is down to the idiotic administration of the c.s.a the onus to pay the arrears are down to you. Buy all means submit an appeal form in but in the mean time your better of being ' compliant ' with them. If your still not happy ask for your case to go to ' complex ' this is where your case will be looked at from the start. BE WARNED they may find more fault and more money for you to pay.

nician

Donedoingdebt

apywell wrote: »

Hi



OK now my problem. I have nearly 6k of arrears because the CSA took 13 months to processs my initial claim and then didn't update my assessment when I started a new job. As

As far as I'm aware, you don't have to voluntarily notify the CSA of a change of job unless you're paying by DEO.
The only time you have to give this information is when they request the information in order to carry out a reassessment & any arrears should only be backdated to the date of the reassessment & not back to when you changed jobs if this was before the reassessment date.
If you had notified the CSA at the time of your job change & they then dragged their heels in carrying out a reassessment, then arrears will be payable.

Mr_Green_Genes

apywell wrote:

Now the CSA are phoning me as they say a breakdown has been posted a few days ago and they need to secure payment on the arrears.
...
phoning you back this Friday???

Get off the phone. They tell you lies on the phone, constantly. The first quote is one of them. "They need to secure payment..." indeed! No, the chimp on the phone wants her bonus! Insist that everything is done in writing as you don't trust them - tell them that if you like, it worked for me (although I'm sure they hated me in the office!)

As for "a breakdown has been posted a few days ago", you cannot be expected to do anything until you've had a chance to study it. Any assessment of arrears is almost certainly total lies. They have a history of that. Do not pay by credit card, that is an abominable thing for them to suggest, but at least it exposes them for what they really are, inhuman. You have to give yourself enough time to appeal if that is necessary.

nician wrote:

BE WARNED they may find more fault and more money for you to pay.

... but much more likely you find that it's all been a terrible mistake and arrears don't exist at all. The gestapo tried their arrears trick on me. I am now considerably richer as a result :beer:

apywell

kelloggs36 wrote: »

They can offer you the chance to pay on your credit card but they can't insist. What can you offer? If you can come up with a small lump sum and then offer the rest over 2 years, that is an option. Alternatively, is 40% of your net income less than the £250 per month it would take to pay it off within 2 years?

I didn't think they could insist.... I think it stinks..... I mean, 6k on my credit card, if I can't pay that with any other debt I could loose my home!!! But it would be ok because the secretary of state hets his money!! :mad:

apywell

nician wrote: »

Hi, I've had a similar problem myself. I've looked into this & even though this is down to the idiotic administration of the c.s.a the onus to pay the arrears are down to you. Buy all means submit an appeal form in but in the mean time your better of being ' compliant ' with them. If your still not happy ask for your case to go to ' complex ' this is where your case will be looked at from the start. BE WARNED they may find more fault and more money for you to pay.

nician

I recieved the breakdown and have studied the arrears. They seem about right. Just anoying that the CSA's incompitence costs me 6k!

apywell

Donedoingdebt wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, you don't have to voluntarily notify the CSA of a change of job unless you're paying by DEO.
The only time you have to give this information is when they request the information in order to carry out a reassessment & any arrears should only be backdated to the date of the reassessment & not back to when you changed jobs if this was before the reassessment date.
If you had notified the CSA at the time of your job change & they then dragged their heels in carrying out a reassessment, then arrears will be payable.

Oh poo. So me phoning them, to be up front and honest actually cost me! :mad: It doesn't pay to be honest!

apywell

Mr_Green_Genes wrote: »

Get off the phone. They tell you lies on the phone, constantly. The first quote is one of them. "They need to secure payment..." indeed! No, the chimp on the phone wants her bonus! Insist that everything is done in writing as you don't trust them - tell them that if you like, it worked for me (although I'm sure they hated me in the office!)

As for "a breakdown has been posted a few days ago", you cannot be expected to do anything until you've had a chance to study it. Any assessment of arrears is almost certainly total lies. They have a history of that. Do not pay by credit card, that is an abominable thing for them to suggest, but at least it exposes them for what they really are, inhuman. You have to give yourself enough time to appeal if that is necessary.



... but much more likely you find that it's all been a terrible mistake and arrears don't exist at all. The gestapo tried their arrears trick on me. I am now considerably richer as a result :beer:

Well, I know they tell lies on the phone because I did challenge one advisor a year back when she said she told me something (that she hadn't) and when I requested a trascript of the phone call (because there was a recording) she admitted that she may not have informed me..... proving she lied!! However, I have also recieved letters requesting payment and then had a phone call saying the letter was wrong!!

All I ever wanted to do was pay what the CSA instructed me to pay. It shouldn't be difficult. But they have caused me so much stress and anger because they have no idea what they are doing and they can't explain how the computer comes up with the figures.

pd001

kelloggs36 wrote: »

They can offer you the chance to pay on your credit card but they can't insist. What can you offer? If you can come up with a small lump sum and then offer the rest over 2 years, that is an option. Alternatively, is 40% of your net income less than the £250 per month it would take to pay it off within 2 years?

apywell,

Remember that the two year payment period is merely guidance. It is not set in stone and is merely a target period.
However the fools at the csa may try to take 'other' enforcement action, such as a deo or indeed bailiff action, if they do not get what they want, and in the timescale that they want it.
Been there done that!

Also, I think that arrears are negotiable, so please also bear this in mind.

And as Mr GG says, do not deal with the idiots on the phone!

markeymark

do the csa just make arrears figures up? a lot of posts on here if you challenge the figure they give you they change it sometimes dramatically!!!