csa and taking children out of the country

krystal8

Hi my ex PWC married her partner who was in the army- she then moved to germany and then cyprus with my children as her partners job means that they have to go wher the army goes. anyway this was in 1997- she has now moved back to england 2 years ago. meanwhile in 2002 i started to pay child support as it went to court-have been paying for 7 years-both my kids are 15 and 17 years, and csa say i owe £21000 in arrears- however, i have continuously paid monthly standing orders and would like to know am i still liable to pay csa for when my ex PWC took my children out of the country for 10 years???
I would be grateful for help and advice X

shell_542

How long has the CSA case been open for? How have these arrears added up if you were paying monthly?

On the CSA website it says they can still collect child support for PWC's living abroad due to being in the Armed Forces. That obviously doesn't clarify if it;s the same if it is the PWC's partner who is in the Armed Forces although it sounds like it might. I hope someone else will be able to help.

marksoton

I suspect that this PWC does not meet the criteria. She is not a serving member of the armed forces herself.

OP, you say it went to court, under whose guidance ? The CSA ?

krystal8

Hi, the PWC is not employed by the armed forces, her husband is, and my case with csA opened in aound 2000 as i recieved letter stating i owed £40,000, i was shocked by this,seeing as i was living with my ex untill 1996, then as mentioned above, my ex moved to germany with her partner, taking my children with her, so i didnt know where the hell my kids were as she stopped all contact. anyway i disputed the £40,000 when i took the letter to the job centre, then i recieved a lesser sum of £21,000. CSA took me to court in 2003 as i hadnt heard from them until this time as i had moved address. and as i was on very low wage at that time, was ordered to pay £40 per month, standing order, during this time i recieved letters stating £21,000 arrears still outstanding! and recently my payments have been set so i have to pay me ex £80 per month-which i can just about afford.
But still really worried about the arrears as my eldest son will be reaching 18 soon.
Thanks for your replies

krystal8

oh, sorry forgot to mention that i have been making regular mainenance payments since 2003.

shell_542

Really you need clarification on whether the CSA can still chase maintenance from you when she was abroad then (if her partner being in the Armed Forces still counts) ...

You could try joining Nacsa (.co.uk) but there is a fee to join. They may be able to help you.

Have they told you how these arrears racked up? Did she open a case with them a long time before they finally contacted you or something?

marksoton

I agree with shell. You need NACSA for this one. It's way too complicated to try and deal with yourself.

krystal8

hi thanks for your replies,
i cant be certain when the case was first opened as like i said ex was out of the country and i only knew when i recieved a letter of arrears. im also not sure how they have come to the arrears, i know i need to ask for DP files, but bit scared at the mo.
at this stage im a bit weary of getting in touch with CSA as what im paying now is just about affordble, but i know i wouldnt be able to manage if i had to pay more maintenance as i now have a second family- 2 children and another on the way-and just my income coming in.
i would also like to point out that my ex left me,and basically used and abused me!! and also used my 2 children as weapons, which she is still doing now, so our relationship is still a bit strained.Thanks for your help.