CSA want 40% of his wage - Help please?

fyimate

My b/f has contacted CSA (after they sent him a letter) and the outcome - without even considering his bills he will lose 40% of his wages.

He simply cannot offord this and they really dont seem to care what he has to pay or what money he's already giving his kids.
He was going to give his kids some money for their upcoming birthdays and xmas but now he cant because CSA will take too much from his wage so his kids are actually worse off now!

We have good reason to believe his ex is working but not declaring - would it help to tell them?

We're scared he will have to quit his job because he just cant offord to pay all the bills and CSA, is there anything we can do?

Poraw

If the CSA aare expecting 40% (the maximum) this must be because he has arrears on his account. Is he on new or old rules? If on new rules it does not matter what money his ex is earning - he has a duty to support his children - how many are there? Does he have them overnight as this would reduce the contribution.

If he does not pay the CSA will place a DOE so short of him quitting his job and therefore really unable to pay his usual bills....

clearingout

telling the CSA his ex works won't do a thing to change this. She's perfectly entitled to go out to work, just as he is! She could be a multi-millionaire in her own right but that doesn't stop his legal, let alone moral, obligation to provide for his children. And there's more to parenting than giving a child money for Xmas and birthdays!

Has he been paying under a private arrangement with his ex and she's suddenly gone to the CSA? Has the case been open for sometime but he's been paying privately?

fyimate

I have no idea what rule he's under.

He's always given money to his kids but she went to CSA when they divorced. She also moved about 20 odd miles away so he doesnt get to see much of them.
I wouldnt make a fuss about the money but the fact that she's earming and claiming benefits and his sons are calling him because they can't offord their school shoes makes us wonder what is she actually spending her money on and why is she making her 13 yr old son pay for his own school equipment?

Would it make much difference if he was already paying for 3 other kids?

BLT_2

fyimate wrote: »

I have no idea what rule he's under.

He's always given money to his kids but she went to CSA when they divorced. She also moved about 20 odd miles away so he doesnt get to see much of them.
I wouldnt make a fuss about the money but the fact that she's earming and claiming benefits and his sons are calling him because they can't offord their school shoes makes us wonder what is she actually spending her money on and why is she making her 13 yr old son pay for his own school equipment?

Would it make much difference if he was already paying for 3 other kids?

You are having a laugh, he lives 20 miles away from his children so doesn't see them much? There are people who drive hundreds of miles every weekend to spend even a day with their children.

Who gives a damn what she is spending her money on, they are his children, he has a moral obligation to support them and the fact that the CSA are demanding 40% of his income clearly indicates that he hasn't been.

He's not supposed to give money to his children, he is supposed to give it the parent who is struggling to bring them up in his absence. Interestingly there are plenty of parents who don't involve the CSA, normally because both parents realise they have a responsibility to support their children and do it in an adult fashion. The guidelines are clear and if your partner had contributed the 20% of his income which is the set figure then perhaps he wouldn't be in the situation he is now.

And no it doesn't matter if he is paying for 3 other children, that just means he needs to keep his John Thomas tucked away.

20 Miles away - PMSL :rotfl:

clearingout

his assessment will be reduced if he's living in a household with other children, yes, but he will need to have notified the CSA of this. If he just gives money to support, say, his nephews that don't live with him then no, they won't take that into account. But that doesn't take away his liability overall.

If he's got arrears, he's been ignoring letters from them, I suspect. Or has he changed jobs and forgotten to tell them about it? Or had some other major change in his life recently?

He can't control what his ex spends the money on. The CSA wasn't set up to make moral judgements, just to ensure that child maintenance is paid. If she's working and claiming benefits you could of course report her anonymously for this - but there is a need to be careful with the information that you think you know because not everything is as it seems. If he's unhappy with the way the children are being brought up (and I agree, it's odd a 13 year old seems to be having to pay for his own shoes), then he needs to be asking questions of his ex (and a few well placed questions to his children might reveal what is/isn't going on).

Is he 'happy' that he actually owes the money they say he owes?

Morty_007

I'm sorry they are hitting him for so much but can't add much to the other posts here except to say in the whole I agree...oh and 20 miles? I drive 24miles to work and then 24 miles home and still manage to spend 8.5 hours a day with work colleagues who I could take or leave....20 miles to see his kids is nothing....please ask him to reconsider this little inconvenience? My DH's ex just moved my DH's son 250 miles away...now THATS a reason not to see your kid much!!

FBaby

If he now has to pay 40%, it is because he has ignored requests to pay a reasonable amount previously. Giving his children a few pounds there and then, or bying the odd piece of clothing isn't going to put food on their table. If his boy complains that he can't get new shoes, maybe it is because his mum is struggle to support him on her own???

You sound like a really nice person, but I'm not sure you realise the implication of being a single mum. I work and earn a decent salary and still I found it hard at the end of the month. I've just had to pay £200 for my daughter Y6 school trip. Her dad doesn't give me a penny, but he thinks he is okay because he spoils her for Christmas and bought her a coat last year (exactly the same to the one she already had already, but it was from Matalan and so not good enough). Your questioning whether she spends her money on her children appropriately when your boyfriend hasn't been supporting them is a bit rich.

Unfortunately, it seems your partner ignored his obligations and it is now coming to bite him. I do feel sorry for you and even him to some extent as I can understand the stress this is putting on you, but this is only the money he owes for not having supported his child as he should have until now (assuming the total sum makes sense).

mackemdave

[QUOTE=BLT

20 Miles away - PMSL :rotfl:[/QUOTE]

My feelings exactly.....When you read something like this thread it makes you wonder if its for real or are the people for real or just wind up merchants.

CSA for 2 kids is 20%.....not sure how many kids 40% relates to 5 or 6?????

Think the OP's partner is looking for an excuse to pack in working and live off benefits.....Wonder what his excuse would be to get out of travelling the 20 miles

kezzygirl

if csa are takin 40% it will probably be through a deduction of earnings order...in which they can take 40% for even ONE child if arreasr are owed.

also, i agree...20miles?is that a typo or are u having a laugh?we used to do a 64mile round trip(twice in a weekend) every weekend to pick up oh's kids.

I really hope thats a typo lol

DX2

fyimate wrote: »

I have no idea what rule he's under.

He's always given money to his kids but she went to CSA when they divorced. What year was this? will help to establish what rules the case is under.

why is she making her 13 yr old son pay for his own school equipment? How does a 13 year old pay for these things?

Would it make much difference if he was already paying for 3 other kids?

Do the three other kids live with him, or are they via another mother/s?