when do csa get tough on employers?

designpollyana

My ex has his csa deducted from his wages or should I say is supposed to. This year he last paid in april, he has same job and circumstances. I phoned csa in July and they told me that they were waiting for a response from his employer. At the same time I asked if his case had been reassessed as I have been told it would be since 2007, they said they were waiting for wage slips( the same reply I have had each year when I have asked). I emailed a complaint to them about both of these matters and received an email asking me to ring them.
Today I phoned and was told the same reply they were waiting for his employer to get back to them so I said why do you tell me this every time I ring? I also asked about the reassessment as he has a very good lifestyle for someone who earns less than minimum wage which is what his payments equal according to csa calculator.
I told them I know he has a yearly pay rise and has 2 jobs which I have also informed them of on a yearly basis. His reply was we will not reassess just because of a payrise and if he has this lifestyle I need to provide proof of it before they would even consider reassessing.
Why have they been supposedly awaiting wage slips all this time if they are not going to reassess?
I said so what happens now he continues not to pay and I ring you and you tell me you are waiting for his employers reply and he basically said we cant do anything until we have employers reply and said he was going to end the call because I was getting nothing out of it so I said but you are not answering my questions and he just kept saying the same scripted thing over and over.
I have seen the other side of csa with my hubby and who stopped paying because he had 2 parents with care but only 1 was getting the money so he stopped because he didn't want to be overpaying one and the other going into arrears. Anyway to cut a long story short after missing 2 payments and telling the csa why the payments hadn't been made the threatening phonecalls and letters we received were bad so how is my ex getting away with it I don't understand.
At the end of the phonecall i asked who I complain to and he said write a letter to complaints team but surely aren't they the same people I emailed in the first place?
sorry for the rant but they have made me feel like I have done something wrong.

Shermanator123

You need to take this to your MP now, hopfully they will get the ball rolling for you, the CSA seem to shift there butts once the MP gets involved its worth a shot

Blob

You have to remember that employers are getting tired of these people pestering them as well. They are supposed to play ball, but more and more are feed up with having personal leave because of the CSA. I know this is not what you want to hear, but it is the simple truth, they are useless and lie all the time and worse still get away with it. [Any CSA people want to take action against me, please contact me and I will tell you where to serve the papers, and I will see you in Court]

Under the law the section that covers this I think is the Collection and Enforcement Regs, section 32!

clearingout

so what do you suggest, blob? if staff are leaving their employment because they have to pay child maintenance, it's OK to not co-operate? It's OK to keep your business going at the expense of children? I appreciate the wider economy could do without taking a hit right now, but honestly, if the answer is that employers can pick and choose whether they comply with the CSA, where does that lead us?

gratefulforhelp_2

I think the answer is, the CSA get tough on employers when they (the CSA) can't stand you pestering them anymore.

Blob

The simple truth is that the CSA are getting to employers when they have other things to sort out like keeping the guys in jobs, so they don't bother with them! Under the Law this can cost them £1000 in fines!

What will it cost all concerned if employers close the doors and even more people end up out of work. The cost to the Gov and to the children will be big, this will affect the children of the compliant far more than the ones that aren't, do you want to take it out on theses children to get at the few? If you do then you need to think about what you are trying to achieve! Far more children will suffer if this action is taken even if they are in a home that has both of their parents there, is that what you want?

PreludeForTimeFeelers

designpollyana wrote: »

My ex has his csa deducted from his wages or should I say is supposed to. This year he last paid in april, he has same job and circumstances. I phoned csa in July and they told me that they were waiting for a response from his employer. At the same time I asked if his case had been reassessed as I have been told it would be since 2007, they said they were waiting for wage slips( the same reply I have had each year when I have asked). I emailed a complaint to them about both of these matters and received an email asking me to ring them.
Today I phoned and was told the same reply they were waiting for his employer to get back to them so I said why do you tell me this every time I ring? I also asked about the reassessment as he has a very good lifestyle for someone who earns less than minimum wage which is what his payments equal according to csa calculator.
I told them I know he has a yearly pay rise and has 2 jobs which I have also informed them of on a yearly basis. His reply was we will not reassess just because of a payrise and if he has this lifestyle I need to provide proof of it before they would even consider reassessing.
Why have they been supposedly awaiting wage slips all this time if they are not going to reassess?
I said so what happens now he continues not to pay and I ring you and you tell me you are waiting for his employers reply and he basically said we cant do anything until we have employers reply and said he was going to end the call because I was getting nothing out of it so I said but you are not answering my questions and he just kept saying the same scripted thing over and over.
I have seen the other side of csa with my hubby and who stopped paying because he had 2 parents with care but only 1 was getting the money so he stopped because he didn't want to be overpaying one and the other going into arrears. Anyway to cut a long story short after missing 2 payments and telling the csa why the payments hadn't been made the threatening phonecalls and letters we received were bad so how is my ex getting away with it I don't understand.
At the end of the phonecall i asked who I complain to and he said write a letter to complaints team but surely aren't they the same people I emailed in the first place?
sorry for the rant but they have made me feel like I have done something wrong.

Hi DesignPollyana,

It sounds like you're being fobbed off a bit to be honest. If they've written to ask the employer to send wages, then the employer should send this back within 7 days, then the CSA can send a reminder letter pointing out that it's the person in Payroll who could be fined for not co-operating. Also, if the DEO hasn't been imposed correctly then they should be chasing that up too, the money should be in by the end of the month following the deduction, so any money the employer takes in April should be sent to the CSA by the end of May. For whatever reason, this employer seems to be obstructing the CSA. I'd call again, and if you get someone who is equally unhelpful, ask for a call back from their line manager, and you should get rang within 2 days. Outline your issues with them, and they will bump your case to the top of the pile to be looked at.

As for them telling you that the NRP being on higher wages wouldn't trigger a reassessment, that's a little bit of constructive excuses there - if the NRP is on more than 5% what he was earning previously then the tolerance level would be breached, and the CSA maintenance would increase.

PreludeForTimeFeelers

clearingout wrote: »

so what do you suggest, blob? if staff are leaving their employment because they have to pay child maintenance, it's OK to not co-operate? It's OK to keep your business going at the expense of children? I appreciate the wider economy could do without taking a hit right now, but honestly, if the answer is that employers can pick and choose whether they comply with the CSA, where does that lead us?

I think that a lot of people want to use the CSA as an excuse, whether that's 'It's not worth me working' or 'It's not worth me declaring my income to the taxman'. These people can claim that this is due to the CSA all they want, but the truth of the matter is that they're just greedy fraudsters who are more interested in avoiding paying maintenance than anything else.

vasseur

Write to the CSA, mark it for the Complaints Dept and state that a copy has been sent to your MP. That's the only way to get them moving.

clearingout

Blob wrote: »

The simple truth is that the CSA are getting to employers when they have other things to sort out like keeping the guys in jobs, so they don't bother with them! Under the Law this can cost them £1000 in fines!

What will it cost all concerned if employers close the doors and even more people end up out of work. The cost to the Gov and to the children will be big, this will affect the children of the compliant far more than the ones that aren't, do you want to take it out on theses children to get at the few? If you do then you need to think about what you are trying to achieve! Far more children will suffer if this action is taken even if they are in a home that has both of their parents there, is that what you want?

So you expect me, and PWC like me, to just sit back and say, 'oh well, they're not going to comply so that's OK'??!!! What sort of parent would that make me? How many other NRPs would then follow suit? The CSA or something like it has to exist because somewhere along the way we created a society whereby it's all fine and dandy to go around creating children that you're not going to support. If we leave the issue of 'generations of benefit claimants' and 'getting pregnant to get a council house' aside, there are still thousands and thousands of children out there who were born within stable relationships which have broken down. I know that by far the majority of their parents find a way through the crap that is separation and divorce and come to support them as best they can. But the minority that doesn't is significant and I'm blowed if my ex can remove our children from private school, have them now eligible for free school meals, and have his new partner's child in private school and not pay a penny. I have given him every opportunity to make a contribution either by paying maintenance direct,by me keeping receipts and him paying me back for essentials such as uniform and shoes or him paying directly for essentials or clubs etc. He isn't interested in any of these options. His new life and 4 holidays a year are more important. Honestly, would you accept that?

I KNOW the CSA makes mistakes - I suspect if I got my file, I could spot plenty. But I also know that they are the only hope my children, and many children like them, have of living a life off the breadline.

chriszzz

From what I think I know, is that the csa should send a Order made by the child support agency (child maintenance and enforcement division) under the child support law to the NRP employer.

I dont understand how the csa need wage slips as they send employers information on how deductions should be made from the earnings of the NRP, the employer will know how much to deduct on information provided ie how many children, protected income, net income etc.

The fact that they know who is employer is should really be enough for them to send a DEO as the employer will know how much the NRP earns!

CSA....common sense...guess not!