In dept with CSA should i leave work ?

noluck

just been hit with a £2000 dept off CSA, the wanting to take £400 pcm this is impossible what happens if i leave my job, this looks like the only way i can survive

karenx

You can leave your job yes. You will get sanctioned from claiming JSA for upto 26 weeks as you voluntarily left your job. So how would you pay your bills with no money coming in. And the debt doesnt go away, so as soon as you get another job the debt will still be there which needs paid

Caz3121

how much of the £400 is arrears and how much for ongoing maintenance and is this £400 less that 40% of your net pay? Do you accept the arrears are valid?
They should agree for the arrears to be spread over 2 years...as karenx has said they will never go away until you pay them
by giving up your job you will be be in a worse position yourself and are just delaying the inevitable...and your child/children would get £5 per week from your JSA (but maybe that does not bother you)

EclipsedMind

The maximum the csa can take is 40% of your net salary. If the £400 is less than or equal to 40% then you will have to pay it but it is more then it should be revised down to 40% of you salary. As the other posters said if the 2k arrears is not correct you can dispute it but otherwise it will always be around until you pay it.

I would also think if you quit your job they could accuse you of purposeful deprivation of income so your assessments might continue at current rate and your arrears become astronomical.

EM

Wasteland_Drifter

NEVER admit to a CSA officer that you QUIT your employment.

They will keep the assessment running and charge you maintenance as though you are still working even though you are not.

If you get fired, then you can claim JSA and use that to clear the arrears. It might take a while.

Do look into finding out if the arrears are genuine and the assessment is correct. You might have to hold off creating any new liability until the CSA resolves discrepencies with your previous laibility.

As you are an NRP, getting money saving advice is one thing you wont get on this forum. You might get constructive help if you Google "A Fairer CSA for All"

HappyMJ

There is a clause that you may be able to use to get the 40% reduced to maybe 30%. You will get the same amount as you would have got if you were claiming JSA, HB and CTB and the rest would go to the CSA. You said the deduction would be £400 so I'm assuming your net salary is £1,000 per month and your gross salary is therefore about £14,000 per year. You wouldn't get any benefits such as WTC or HB on that salary. If you claimed JSA, HB, CTB and all the other benefits with a nil income what would you get? I would get £780 per month. It takes a lot of negotiating with CSA and PWC but you may get the arrears to be paid off over a longer period of time. If I had a net wage of £600 per month I simply could not survive so I understand where you are coming from. I would also rather not work and get £780 rather than work 40 hours a week or more and get £600 for it. It's a matter of survival.

Note: if you do quit your job and have no money at all you can claim a hardship payment of JSA and full payment of HB and CTB. It's only about £20 less per week than the full payment of JSA.

kingfisherblue

HappyMJ wrote: »

There is a clause that you may be able to use to get the 40% reduced to maybe 30%. You will get the same amount as you would have got if you were claiming JSA, HB and CTB and the rest would go to the CSA. You said the deduction would be £400 so I'm assuming your net salary is £1,000 per month and your gross salary is therefore about £14,000 per year. You wouldn't get any benefits such as WTC or HB on that salary. If you claimed JSA, HB, CTB and all the other benefits with a nil income what would you get? I would get £780 per month. It takes a lot of negotiating with CSA and PWC but you may get the arrears to be paid off over a longer period of time. If I had a net wage of £600 per month I simply could not survive so I understand where you are coming from. I would also rather not work and get £780 rather than work 40 hours a week or more and get £600 for it. It's a matter of survival.

Note: if you do quit your job and have no money at all you can claim a hardship payment of JSA and full payment of HB and CTB. It's only about £20 less per week than the full payment of JSA.

WTC cut off point is about £17,000, depending on circumstances.

OP, as others have said, even if you quit work, you will still be liable to pay the arrears in the future. Once your child has turned eighteen, the arrears still won't go away. My ex owed arrears and he still had to pay them to me after our daughter turned 18 and left full time education. He has now paid all his arrears to me, but is still paying the Secretary of State.

If you are not certain whether you owe as much as £2000, ask how this figure has been worked out. There is a sticky at the top of this page about getting your file - I think there is a small charge, but it may be worth paying if you feel that there is a discrepancy.

iluvfreebies

hi op - i know when you receive letters etc as you have leaving work can seem like a good idea - however i assure you it really isnt
The CSA take a dim view on folk who leave their job to avoid paying child maintenance and this will make future negotiations nearly impossible.
The best thing to do is make contact and discuss your current situation
if you can supply some details of your circs on here i can try to help
whats your current earnings?
do you have children in your household?
are you paying ongoing maintenance or is your case closed?
whats your relationship like with the pwc.

What csa centre are you dealing with

Kimitatsu

noluck wrote: »

just been hit with a £2000 dept off CSA, the wanting to take £400 pcm this is impossible what happens if i leave my job, this looks like the only way i can survive

Firstly have they sent you a breakdown of the arrears? If not then you need to ask for one today.

Secondly if you can prove financial hardship then the 40% is only a steer as is the two year rule. They will only take into account priority bills, housing costs, council tax, gas water electricity tv licence and travel to work costs so any other debts will be discounted. But if you can show that you would lose your home or be imprisoned for non payment of council tax due to the punitive arrears then they will amend the figure.

Quitting your job will not make the arrears go away, all it will do is change the amount you pay, so try to talk to them first, if you go the CAB they will do a financial statement for you to send to the CSA which will help.

flutterby_lil

dept = debt?