Liability no longer in force!

baggybond

I received a letter from CSA recently stating that liability for child maintenance is no longer in force, and that liability ended 2008, the date the calim started.

This is because my ex and I finally came to an arrangement for me to pay her the maintenance direct, which was hard work to achieve!!!

As far as I was concerned, the case was closed as there was no arrears to pay as liabilty was cancelled from the day the claim was made, so how could there be arrears. Even so, my ex and I had included any arrears in the payments I was to make to her and we were both fine with the amount we came up with.

Then she did her usual thing, refused to give receipts for payments. So I said no receipts no payment! So she went back to CSA and got the case reopened.

I phoned CSA to find out what was going on. They said the case was never really closed because of the arrears I owed. I pointed out that there was no arrears as liability ended on the start date of original claim, so if no liability from that date how can there be arrears. In fact, if liability ended in 2008, any payments I made to them after that date was owed to me! She just said her system showed arrears and the case is now reopened and as it was before the letter was issued.

Im not saying im not going to pay, I just want to know if liability ended from 2008, how can the CSA then reinstate liability from that date instead of treating it as a new claim from when my ex phoned up this month?

shell_542

Do you have the letter stating the case was closed as of the starting date? I would send a COPY of it, via recorded delivery to the complaints department asking for clarification. Meanwhile put aside money every month so when it is all sorted out you can cover any arrears accruing now up front and start with the normal, regular payments.