CSA Question

medw1974

Actually, just reading some more makes me think that the system is very open to abuse.

It appears that if a PWC (parent with care) who is claiming IS opts-out of applying to the CSA without good cause they will lose 40% of the adult proportion of the IS (40% of £57.45 = £22.98).

Obviously this would be illegal and I am in no way advocating this, just pointing out the flaw in the system. But if my ex opted out and I instead paid her £50 a week in cash, she would in effect be almost £30/week better off.

medw1974

arnie&caseysma! wrote:

My partner and his ex-wife split up a few years ago. When he moved away she had to go and sort out her income support etc again and they wanted to inform the CSA so they could extort money out of him every month. She was very good about it and refused this and would not sign anything regarding CSA as they already have an arrangement where he is paying off the marital debt (and will be long after he would have stopped paying CSA) and as such he does not pay for his daughter. To get the CSA involved in a case like this would be sheer stupidity as by the time her share of the monthly debt payment was taken off the maintenance she would get about £15 per month! Somethings work better if you sort it yourselves rather than get the 'authorities and agnecies' involved. Have a go and see if you can sort something out between you, it will benefit you all in the end....

As far as I can tell the CSA have to be involved when income support is being claimed, otherwise the pwc loses some o9f their benefit as I explain above - it is all very complicated it seems

medw1974

Need_More_Money wrote:

That all seems unecessarily complicated. Surely if you are a lone parent you have at least one child and are a family - so why three components? Why not an amount for lone parents and then an additional amount for each extra child?

That's just government departments for you.

Scarlett1

medw1974 wrote:

As far as I am aware income support rates are as follows:

Lone Parent Over 18: £57.45 +
Dependant Children: £45.58 (Per Child) +
Family Premium: £16.25

I think the family premium has been scrapped for new claimants so she wont get that, and IS now dont pay for the children, that comes from the inland revenue in the form of child tax credit.

Scarlett1

medw1974 wrote:

Obviously this would be illegal and I am in no way advocating this, just pointing out the flaw in the system. But if my ex opted out and I instead paid her £50 a week in cash, she would in effect be almost £30/week better off.

what £50 per week on top of the £50 the csa will take off you ?

any money than is received whilst on benefits will be regarded as income, unless it £20 permitted work for a single parent, and can be regarded as benefit fraud

Need_More_Money_2

Scarlett1 wrote:

I think the family premium has been scrapped for new claimants so she wont get that, and IS now dont pay for the children, that comes from the inland revenue in the form of child tax credit.

Don't you have to be working to get tax credits?

pink_phantom

Good on you OP for finding out facts and not bleating about the fact that you have to pay. You are very informed.

pink_phantom

Need_More_Money wrote:

Don't you have to be working to get tax credits?

Only to get working tax credit. Child tax credit is paid to everybody with kids.

Need_More_Money_2

pink_phantom wrote:

Only to get working tax credit. Child tax credit is paid to everybody with kids.

So does child tax credit completely replace the child element of income support? Would a single parent just get the basic £57.45 as income support and then claim child tax credit?

medw1974

Need_More_Money wrote:

So does child tax credit completely replace the child element of income support? Would a single parent just get the basic £57.45 as income support and then claim child tax credit?

Actually, that indeed is the case all the child elements are now paid by HMRC but the amounts I believe are the same.