Help please

MoonRose77

My husband has recieved a letter from the CSA regarding an order from 2001. We phoned them up today and were told that the case was opened in 2001 and closed after one year. Now I have done the maths and this doesn't add up. They are wanting £5.80 a week from 27/03 to 16/10 this year. The original order was for £5.40 - also I have found a statement out from 27 May 2003 which details the payments as being £5.40 a week from the 20/08/02 and an opening balance of £67.89.

Now if the case was only open for a year does anything afterwards count - I am waiting for the open and closed dates - hub forgot to ask so I have emailed. And as the person claiming did not have the children is there anything else we can do. Obviously it would have been paid had the person who did the claim have the children with her but we know that she didn't and told them so at the time - over and over again.

Advice, help gratefully appreciated. Thank you.

kelloggs36

Can you give some more details please as it is very confusing?!! What does the letter say exactly? Clearly you must not mention names or National Insurance numbers but if you could give the letter details then this would help.

You need to know the date that the case was opened and the date it was closed (if indeed it ever was closed). If it was closed in 2004, then there is no liability thereafter.

thesaint

Where were the children in the period you are disputing? Were the children with a relative/friend of the mother?

MoonRose77

The letter says:

I'm writing today about the arrangements for collecting you child maintenance payments.

According to our records, we've agreed that you should pay these by Transcash, Weekly.

If you want to give us any further information that could affect this decision, please let us know.

Your Payments

We'll send you paying-in slips seperately.

If you want to pay by cash, bear in mind that this can only be done at a post office.

This schedule shows the amounts due over the next 12 months.

Weekly - 27/03/07 to 16/10/07 - REGULAR AMOUNT £0 - PLUS ARREARS £5.80 - TOTAL TO BE PAID BY YOU £5.80
Weekly - 23/10/07 to 23/10/07 - REGULAR AMOUNT £0 - PLUS ARREARS £3.44 - TOTAL TO BE PAID BY YOU £3.44

This is the main information on the letter - the rest of the page just talks about what can happen if you don't pay.

I found out about when it was from after my husband had finished talking to them on the phone - they said it was open for one year from 2001 and then closed. I have requested by email the dates the claim was opened and closed.

thesaint - the children were left with their mother's ex-boyfriend when she decided to walk out on them again and she put in the claim after she had left.

kelloggs36

The letter is only dealint with arrears - there is no ongoing liability at all. HOwever, you should also ask for an assessment for the period in question so that you can check the figures used.

MoonRose77

Thanks Kelloggs - I understand that bit about arrears only but the thing I am mainly questioning is the amounts and what to do if they are wrong (and by my calculations they are way out). I have found a statement from the csa from 2003 which tells me the amounts owed from then and the payment start date. The case was open for a year - according to them - the payments weren't due to start till 20/08/02 - which is why I want to know the start and end dates they have.

So if it was opened in 2001 for one year - nothing from 2003 can count and the total from 2002 was £100.29 - they want back £177 and some odd pence(roughly). This is where it becomes oh so confusing.

Will get onto them about the assessment so I can check that.

kelloggs36

Yes, if I were you I would ask them for a full accounts breakdown along with confirmation of the assessment and all the figures they used when calculating it. You need the exact start date of the case and the end date and all the assessments made within that time.

janiegs

The £5.40 was the lowest amount they could ask for in arrears at the time of the original demand. This rises every year in line with Income support, and the lowest amount they can currently ask for is £5.80 a week, that's why the amounts mentioned are different.

MoonRose77

Quick update - I have asked the csa for the start and end dates and these have now changed from being an open case for 1 year only to being opened on 6/3/01 to closed on 7/04/03.

I have requested the things you suggested kelloggs and am awaiting their response.

Janiegs thank you for clarifying that for me.

N71

Hi - just about the bit that the children not being with the person claiming.

The CSA would go on whoever was in reciept of child benefit at the time. If the person who claimed, wasn't in receipt of child benefit at the time, she/he wouldn't have had a case.