Really need help with csa payments

kelise

I would like any kind of help anyone has to offer.

Last year my husband received a letter from CSA to advise he had to pay child Maintenance plus arrears as he had stopped paying for a year or so, because they were taking way too much money and had to leave his job.

Anyway he was told he had to pay nearly £600 a month from last march for 12 months which included £270 a month arrears. After 12 months the arrears would be finished. He has done this through his wages each month.

However a letter he received this weekend with the new breakdown for the next 12 months still shows he has to make the same arrears payments every month.

1- Is this just an auto mated thing they send to everyone each year to show what they need to pay?
He has called them to discuss this but wont advise him anything over the phone. So he needs to send a letter in (which we are doing).
2 - Surely they should send him something to proove he still owes an arrears amount.
3 - The child is now 17 this year and he has no contact with his son and hasnt for many years (too confusing to go into any details). So with no access to the child should he be paying the normal rate.
4 - If he finds out the child finished school last year and did not carry on with full time education, could my husband be entitled to a refund for the normal amounts he has paid each month from last september (not the arrears).
5 - I am now also 4 motnhs pregnant and due to go on maternity leave in June - is my husband therefore entitled to a discount.

Sorry for so many quesstions but its making me sick to my stomach (and my husband) to think we are still not going to be able to afford our own place when our first child is born. And being really ill due to my pregnancy already this is just going to make me worse.

many thanks

Kelly

kelloggs36

they normally send an annual statement - how much were the arrears altogether? This is what you need to find out then you can .work out if the arrears being taken should continue

CSA_Debt_Bod

Hi kelise, I will try to answer your questions the best I can;

1. It is possible this may just be an automated letter and the amounts are incorrect. I don't understand why the CSA wouldn't discuss this with your husband over the phone? They should do. I would advise him to ring back (hopefully he may get another officer) and ask what the balance of his arrears is. If he doesn't get a satisfactory answer, he should ask to speak to a manager. The NRP is entitled to know how much he owes and it is not difficult for an officer to find this information on the system, and only takes a minute or two. If your husband was asking for a more detailed statement of his arrears - an account breakdown - this is more complicated and usually does need to be requested in writing. But providing him with his arrears balance figure should be done over the phone on request.
2. It's not routine to send breakdowns of payments made/ arrears balance remaining unfortunately, and these have to be requested in writing as they are time consuming for officers to compile
3. Access has no bearing on child maintenance (apart from cases where the NRP has the child overnight aka shared care which reduces the CM amount)
4. Yes, he could, if child benefit was not in payment. He should ring the CSA and ask for a child benefit check to be made to establish the status of the child
5. When the baby is born, yes this will reduce what your husband has to pay, but I am not sure if your being on maternity leave would make a difference...probably not I would imagine but he should ring and ask to be sure

Hope this is helpful

kelise

The arrears was for £3500 in Jan 2009 - and he has paid £266.50 extra a month so this should take 13 months to clear meaning this month should have been the last arrears payment.

CSA_Help

Sometimes CSA officers will go to the extreme of allocating money in a futures account of what they predict you will be liable to pay up to 3 months ahead .

Tried that with me also with my DEO .

If you have a very basic knowledge of arithmetic no common sense then the CSA is looking for people like that

Sorry any CSA people out there

cstocken1_2

hi i am havin to pay csa, my hours have been cut from work to 19 and need to no how much money csa have to leave you every week as sure there a limit to how much they must leave u to live on, can anybody help me

CSA_Debt_Bod

It's different for every NRP cstocken1, it would depend on your circumstances such as your housing costs and whether you have any other children. Have you got a DEO? The figure they have to leave you to live on would be on your schedule under 'protected earnings amount'.

Caz3121

cstocken1 wrote: »

hi i am havin to pay csa, my hours have been cut from work to 19 and need to no how much money csa have to leave you every week as sure there a limit to how much they must leave u to live on, can anybody help me

Are you on CSA1 or CSA2, not sure about CSA1 but if on CSA2 it is a % of your net so it would be the same % of your new pay
so if old pay was £300 per week and 2 kids, CSA would be £60 per week
if new pay is £150 per week then payment would be £30

the maximum they can take is 40% of your pay so they leave you with 60% rather than a number of £s

cstocken1_2

not to sure what i am on, but in loads of debt, moved in with my missis so carin for her 3 kids and gettin help with rent etc, do they take the debt into concern as by time paid them leaves me with hardly anything

Caz3121

how long has the CSA case been open? do you supply details of your housing costs etc (only applies on CSA1)

CSA_Debt_Bod

The CSA don't take in to account any personal debts you may be liable for.

Have you rung and requested a reassessment because of the drop in your wages?