CSAtch 22 - Crippled by CSA payments

PandyLegend

Each month I am being crippled by the payments I have to make to the CSA.

My net pay is about £1250 and I am paying them £290 a month for 2 children, one of whom I do not even know is mine. I have told the CSA that I question my fatherhood and they say that once I have proved that the child is not mine then they will refund the extra money I paid and they will also refund the cost of the test. The problem is I am in a catch 22 situation because the DNA test costs £400, which I do not have and cannot easily obtain and the fact that I am paying silly money each month to the CSA makes it even harder!

I don't see how can the CSA justify this amount of money being taken from someone on a low income. I can't make any more savings that I already do. I don't go out, I have been forced to move to a one bed flat, which means it is difficult for me to have my son to stay. I can no longer afford to run a car, so it is difficult for me to even visit my son and I am struggling to even feed myself each month.

Rent is £500, C. Tax is £130, utilities come to about £100 on average (prepay meters), phone is £80 due to the extortionate BT connection fee and I am tied in to a 12 month contract with 6 months to go, internet is £20 (needed for work), bus is £45, so that only leaves about £85 a month for food and any other essentials. Even if I could save on the phone bill it would still not be suitable money to live on.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

karenx

When the CSA first contacted you you would of been asked if you were the parent to the children, so you must of answered yes to both. It would of been at that point you could of said no to one of them and you would of gotten the DNA test for nothing. But as its gone past that stage if you want the DNA test done you need to pay for it yourself
Are you paying off any arrears? According to the calculator on the CSA website you should be paying £251 per month. There is no other way of changing the amount you pay unless you speak to the PWC and explain the sitaution you are in and agree on the private arrangement of you paying.

PandyLegend

I did declare that I disputed my fatherhood, although they claim they never received the form. I contacted them immediately as soon as I received the letter telling me how much I should pay and that is when they told me about proving it. They said because I was down on the birth certificate as the father, then that would be the case either way anyhow. (I was not present when the birth was registered so had no choice about being on the certificate).

I used to have a private arrangement with my ex-wife but she realised she could get more through the CSA - she also stopped me seeing my son so that she could get even more from the CSA.

The reason I pay more than the calculator is because of arrears - not because I didn't pay (it comes from my salary) but because they backdated the payments for the 2nd child.

karenx

Unfortunatly there isnt alot you can do then about reducing the payments.

escortg3

Isnt the amount reduced the more nights you have your children to stay over. between 0-51 weeks 52-104 weeks etc. i know someone that was paying 300 a month and when everything was sorted and they was having little ones over to sleep twice a week it reduced by £75.00. he is now considering doing 3 nights a week to reduce it further and see his children more:) Also seek legal advice if you are not allowed to see your child. she cannot just stop access like that.

PandyLegend

Yes I used to have my son every other weekend, but my ex stopped that (presumably because she knew she'd get more money - seeing as the CSA letter came within a week of her stopping my contact!).

I am now going through court to get access again, but unfortunately that is a long, slow process, esp. when my ex-wife is making the whole process even more difficult.

Sorry to say it, but it p****s me off that I am trying to earn an honest living, and also pay for the care of my son (and possible daughter) and yet I am struggling with everything and yet my ex-wife can happily earn £2000 a month in 'free money' (she is on 1 year's maternity leave with full pay, get's housing benefit, child benefit, disability benefit for my autistic son, council tax relief, child tax credit as well as what she gets from me). It wouldn't be so bad if I thought the money was actually going to benefit the kids, but she palms them off on my parents and her parents pretty much every weekend so she can enjoy weekends away.

RAS

Hi

I do not suppose you sent the dispute form registered post or kept a copy?

Regarding the rest, if you came over to the DFW forum we may be able to help yo find thing that reduced your expenditure, etc.

Your utilities are very high, have you got arrears?

kelloggs36

When was the case opened? If it was after 2001 then they can assume parentage if you were named on the birth certificate.

PandyLegend

No arrears. Electric is on a prepay meter and costs about £40-£50 a month.
Waters are both £20-£25 a month (meter).
I have always paid around this amount and have looked into cheaper suppliers in the past but with no luck. Not a lot I can do about the prepay meter though - is there?

PandyLegend

kelloggs36 wrote: »

When was the case opened? If it was after 2001 then they can assume parentage if you were named on the birth certificate.

January this year.

Yes that is what they have done. They asked why I was named on the BC if I doubted parentage but I wasn't there so had no choice in the matter!

Mojisola

If a child is born to a married couple, it is assumed that s/he is a child of the marriage and the husband will be named as father.

If a woman is not married, she can't put down a father's name unless the man is present and consents.