Advice on arrears payments please

fumps

Hi people

Before you read this, please take note that I feel stupid for the mistakes in this. But I suppose that is not the main issue in this thread.

Here goes, I am a (Very proud) non resident father of a 6yr old boy And have been paying CSA payments with little hassle to anyone involved since the department first contacted me.

In November 2008 I contacted them to explain that they had failed to take a payment from me & was told that my CSA account was up to date & all payments have been received, I asked if everything was fine with my account & they reassured me that everything was ok. So (This is me being stupid) I believed them & went on with my preparations for xmas, Now another reason I feel stupid is I did not check my account during December.
Now I was checking my bank statement & realised that now January payment had been taken so I again contacted them to be told that my CSA account was fine. This time I told them it cannot be correct & stood my ground. After a stroppy confrontation, the case worker admitted a mistake had been made & wanted to know when I will be clearing the balance.
Now here is where I am at. I am not a well paid person & only come away each month with about £40 spending money. When the initial problem was raised I made a large overpayment which left my bank account overdrawn & subject to charges.
But still owe quite a bit of arrears.

Now the CSA want me to clear my arrears in three payments but I cannot afford the payments, I have asked them if I can clear it in five payments instead but they are flatly refusing.
I have spoken to them today & they are now saying that they could go & take the money directly from my wages.
I don’t know what to do. I have never disputed the arrears just the amounts they are asking are unrealistic. All I want to do is pay off the balance but if they take this money I will incur charges that will outweigh the overpayments. So I am now in a limbo where no matter what happens I’m in deep water.

Can anyone please advise me of what, if anything I can do

TotallyBroke

To take it from your wages they will need to set up a detatchment of earnings with your employer. I do not know but wouldn't think this is a quick thing to do.
So I would suggest you pay them what you can afford and then by the time they have sorted the deo you'll have paid most if not all of it back.
Someone with better knowledge may advise differently soon

articfoxy78

a doe takes csa about 6 weeks to sort from start to finish( ie mentioned in letter 3/02/08 start taking from wages 16/3/08) as soon as they mentioned it to me in a letter they started proceedings

fumps

Thank you for your advice.

If i was a bad payer, i would kind of understand where they were comming from. What worrys me is i feel like i'm being pushed into asking for a re-evaluation, but because of my outgoings my son would get less money. And i'm trying to prevent that.

I just want to pay them back in a fair balanced way & they just dont want to know.

marksoton

The agency are acting in a disgusting manner. They seem to be using any excuse to get people onto a DEO. Stick to your guns and remind them that they are at least partly at fault for the mistake.

Do not allow them to bully you with threats of a DEO. Contact your MP and get them involved.

Donedoingdebt

fumps wrote: »

Thank you for your advice.

If i was a bad payer, i would kind of understand where they were comming from. What worrys me is i feel like i'm being pushed into asking for a re-evaluation, but because of my outgoings my son would get less money. And i'm trying to prevent that.

I just want to pay them back in a fair balanced way & they just dont want to know.

Don't feel bad about going for a reassessment. If you get a lower monthly assessment, you'll be able to pay back these arrears quicker. The CSA will get the arrears by fair means or foul! They do not care about your personal circumstances.
Once the arrears are paid off, perhaps you could privately up your payments to your ex so your Son will not lose out in the long run.

kelloggs36

Try and remind them that their current policy is to recover arrears within a 2 year period, and that 5 months is well within that timescale. Put in a formal complaint that they are being totally unrealistic and bullying with their demands; you are offering to repay all arrears over 5 months which is not unrealistic and you want a written, full explanation as to why this is being refused.

fumps

I did'nt know about the 2 year period.

They are blatantley trying to bully me for no reason, this is what i find totally frustrating.

The thing is since this has come about a month has now gone by so the arrears look bigger. i have a payment in my savings acount waiting to go. And because of the mess up. my son is not getting his payments.

I just feel like taking it out in cash & getting my ex to write me a signed receipt. that way at least he's getting the normal payments in the mean time, while the arrears are being sorted out.

Donedoingdebt

fumps wrote: »

I just feel like taking it out in cash & getting my ex to write me a signed receipt. that way at least he's getting the normal payments in the mean time, while the arrears are being sorted out.

You may well be better off setting up a standing order. They're easy enough to set up or cancel.
Just make sure that it is clearly marked "Child support paid to "PWC's name" for "Child's name". That way, the CSA will find it very difficult to claim that you haven't paid & therefore, try claiming more arrears off you.

LizzieS_2

It sounds like you are making payments via direct debit. Their account information will be in a previous letter which if you do not have, your bank will do for the DD process. There's nothing stopping you cancelling the DD and setting up a Standing Order to the same account.

fumps

I will speak to my ex & see what she want to do in the mean time.

I just want to get it sorted out so my son get's the money he is owed.

It is beyond belief that a modern day department finds it so difficault to spread arrears payments over 5 months rather than 3....?

I'm absolutley lost