CSA Payments stop at 19?

cbear47

My daughter has finished her A levels this year.

She turns 19 at the end of the year however she has said she wants to stay on at school to do another A level rather than go into Uni. She will also get a part time job.

I know I'm liable for CM until she her 19th birthday but am I after she is 19 as she is still at school and still liable for child benefit?

The CSA website does state that they classify a child as someone between 16 and 19 if they are in full time non advanced education.

I think liability stops at 19 but can anyone confirm this?

Loopy_Girl

They stop at 19 even if she is still at school.

hi_its_me

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

They stop at 19 even if she is still at school.

I thought it was 20 now??

ANNHILL123

As long as child benefit is in force.So it could be up till 20th birthday

hi_its_me

Pasted from the child benefit website

How long can we keep paying Child Benefit? Once your child turns 16 we can carry on paying Child Benefit for them as long as they are classed as a 'qualifying young person'. This means that we can keep paying Child Benefit for them until 31 August after their 16th birthday, and after this date we can only keep on paying you if one of the following applies:

• they are under 20 and in relevant education or training
• they are 16 or 17 and are registered for work, education or training with an approved body
• they have left school, relevant education or training after 31 August following their 16th birthday

Soooo.. if that child is still in full time non advanced education child ben is paid up till age 20... which means so will CSA.

Caz3121

hi_its_me wrote: »

Soooo.. if that child is still in full time non advanced education child ben is paid up till age 20... which means so will CSA.

BUT from the CSA website

Child maintenance is payable all the time that Child Benefit is being paid and the child is:

• aged under 16; or
• under 19 and in full-time non-advanced education

either the CSA site has not been updated to 20 it indeed still stops on 19th birthday

hi_its_me

It's soooo confusing isn't it!!
Speaking to the CSA last week they told my OH he is liable for child maintenance as long as the PWC is still getting child benefit for that child. The reason we asked is because his daughter is now 18 and just finished college. She is supposed to be going to Uni...as she has got the grades required, but now has told us she is thinking about going back to college to do another non advanced course and is undecided about what she wants to do.

ANNHILL123

A copy of the email I had from the csa a while back....

Dear Madam.

Thank you for your email to the Child Support Agency.


As long as you are in receipt of child benefit for the child then
child maintenance will remain in payment.
......................................................................................

LilithsBrother

It's unbelievable that a person can be receiving CHILD benefit at twenty years old isn't it?,does the same apply across Europe ?....you can vote at eighteen but your still classed as a child....we really do have huge problems in this country dont we.

hi_its_me

They wouldn't actually be receiving child ben at 20 as it stops when they reach 20 years of age. But I agree, at 18 they can vote, buy alcohol, etc, and are officially an ADULT yet CHILD benefit can be paid for a further 2 years to the PWC. How the government can still class them as children under parental care at that age is beyond me. An 18 year old is an adult and accountable for thier own actions so why pay the parent a parental care allowance, which is technically what child benefit is paid for?
I have brought up 4 children and they all stayed on at school/college until they were 19 but they also had part time jobs in the evenings/weekends to support themselves.

Blue_Horizon

hi_its_me wrote: »

But, now that she has gotten the grades needed to get into Uni and has been allocated a place at her chosen university, she has changed her mind and instead is looking at other non advanced college courses for the next 2 years so she can continue to received child ben and CSA payments.

I've now got the same problem. Last week my D got two A* and 2 A at A-level, she has been offer a place at Uni too. She wanted to take a gap year to travel and now she says she wants to go to college for a year to do a BTEC or AS levels. She doesn't turn 19 until next summer. As it is I appear to be facing another year of CM payments of £400 per month that I can't afford.

This makes me really angry as why would anyone with 4 A levels and a Uni place want to do more A levels or a BTEC. The PWC has a full time time a house with no mortgage and can afford to give the CM to my D.

This can't be what the CSA was set up to do, can it?