They are not my kids so why do I have to pay?

Kungfukitty

There was no mention of the PWC's partner on the CSA forms. All it took into account was her salary. Nor on the departure

With the housing costs being a bit iffy and her partner's income, there seem to be a catalogue of errors in the original assessment and the departures order.

If you are correct Kelloggs then surely we have a grounds for the case to be completely reassessed?

Kitty

kelloggs36

Firstly, as your children are over 18 you are not legally financially responsible for them - I too have a 20 year old at university. Whilst I am assessed in terms of her grant/loan it does not mean that I should or can contribute towards her living costs. That is what the loan/grant is for.

Secondly, what was the reason you did not get support from your ex? was it by choice? I apologise if you were widowed, but any other reason than that would indicate that you did not pursue maintenance. It should never be expected that a child will be supported by only one parent, it should be the norm that the expectation is that both parents support the children.

Third, does the PWC have children with her new partner? If so then his income details will have been included, if not, then they won't. You would have to make an application for a departure for that to happen. The departure application made by her was in respect of your details not her partner's so they aren't relevant to the case. You have to make a separate departure application for her partner's details to be taken into account.

The CSA would have asked for the full housing costs of where you live. if he only gave half then the CSA will not be wrong in making the assessment they did, as they will have asked for the full costs - they will have made the decision based upon the informtion provided to them. Is it a mortgage or rent? What evidence did your partner send in?

Innocenti

This really winds me up. I have a partner who is on CSA1 and we pay over the odds because I wont provide my details. They want my working tax families details but dont take into account that 80% of that pays for my child care. They also want details of my maintenance that I get from my ex (private arrangement).

It does really annoy me because the ex sat on her !!!! for years with 1 child claiming Income Support whilst I have gone out and worked my !!!! off for years, paying for child care and running myself ragged working full time. And now my wages, tax credits and maintenace are to be used in the assessment. How is that fair? I have 3 kids, (1 of them being my partners child) and I work hard for my money but I have to support my OH's kid also? HE pays the maintenace as it is HIS kid, why should my wages be taken into account?

I earn £6000 a year more than my OH (and this could rise to nearly £10,000 more as I an due a good pay rise this year ) because I have worked hard through the years to earn a good salary and I use MY money to support MY kids but I refuse to have my details given out. Why cant the CSA just assess my partners wages and make HIM and only HIM pay for HIS kid.

It really winds me up and I think that CSA2 is a much fairer system

kelloggs36

I think you will find that your partner is paying exactly the same amount of money whether you provide your details or not. With you earning more than he, he won't get any discount, so it doesn't matter in your case whether you provide the details or not, you aren't paying any more.

Innocenti

Thanks Kellog, we worked out that I dont have to provide my details any more (used to as I was once working part time and partner earned a lot more than me) as it wont make any difference to what he pays. I just resent have to to give details of my wages/WFTC/child benefit/maintenance, this is nothing to do with my partners child, it is money for me that I would get if my partner wasnt around and that our child is not taken into account.

dd1_2

We got home last night to a letter from the CSA saying.....'We've recently been told your circumstances may have changed'

They HAVE NOT changed and just WHO has told them that they have?

They have asked for the NRP's payslips and MINE (NRPP)!!!!

HOW DARE THEY!!!!!

They wont be getting my payslips - I will be telling them that I can afford to pay half of ALL household bills and that is ALL I will be teeling them.

I have worked hard all my life to have the things I have now and I am NOT contributing to my partner's child. He is almost 17 and at full-time college and that's a JOKE. PWC MADE him go to college against his will just so she would continue to get CSA payments. He hardly ever attends college. So why should my earnings be disclosed to help contribute.

I, too, will go to prison before I disclose any of my details to the CSA!

Kungfukitty

Thanks Kelloggs for clarifying the issue over departure orders. Is it now too late to apply for a departure? We have been moved onto CS2 now.

BTW I can only afford to give my kids £30/month each for their upkeep. If we have to pay £80 a month to CSA then it will wipe out their maintenance and we will still have to find another £20 to cover the rest. It doesn't sound much, but we have no disposable income anymore. I am sure you probably still spend money on your kids at uni too, whether it is helping them buy a new coat or shoes etc

I didn't take my ex to CSA as he threatened me with violence!

The CSA do not make form filling very clear and often they mislead on purpose particularly on their appeals proceedure. They asked my partners for his housing costs so that is what he gave. He pays his half separately to mine as you would expect with flat mates with different tenancy agreements. He would have never thought it would have included mine as well... why would it?

Kitty

looktothefuture

Kungfukitty - Sympathies honey - I know where you are coming from! Unfortunatly I can't give any advice because in the end the PWC and my partner came to a private agreement and got shot of the CSA for good - Perhaps if your partner could convince his ex that going throught the CSA isn't such a clever idea, he may actually benefit from having a private agreement with her. I'd stress to have it witnessed by a solicitor because problems could and will still arise without proper rules in place.

Good luck tho!

seven-day-weekend

Although I understand the explanations I have been given on how the CSA assessment works, I too would feel like kungfukitty and other posters and would not want my own son to go without (even though he is now grown up) whilst supporting someone else's.

Quite understand their frustration. The assessment procedure is totally unfair imho.

kelloggs36

You say your case is CS2 - but that may just be the computer system rather than the way it is calculated - otherwise there would be no departure at all. If it is still calculated with housing costs etc then it is not too late to apply for a departure - it never is it just won't be backdated.

I sympathise that you couldn't claim maintenance from your ex, but it doesn't mean that other children should have to go without because you had to (I have been there too, so I do know what it is like - i'm not looking through rose-tinted specs).

No, at the moment I don't help out my daughter as I believe she needs to stand on her own two feet. Unfortunately, she has proved that she is not to be trusted with money and so I refuse to bail her out so she can go and spend recklessly again - she needs to learn that she is a grown up and has to make grown up decisions now. I had to at her age - she was 2 years old. Nobody bailed me out, and I'm glad they didn't, as it taught me how to appreciate my money and not fritter it away. When she has proved she can do this, then she will get some bonus from me, until then she gets nothing other than sympathy!!!!!!! Harsh I know, but life is harsh.