Another CSA question

Notsosharp

My ex-partner started paying maintenance last year (after four years of not paying it because he was a student even though he actually DID work).

At the moment he pays £112 through the CSA which comes directly off his wages.

When he dropped my DD off today he came to me with a typed plan which amounted to £1800 a year versus £1344 (this is what I currently receive).

Basically this plan states he'll pay as follows:

10 x £120
3 x £200

OR

9 x £120
4 x £180

It is extra over what the CSA obtains from him but and it's a BIG but this is the man who has refused to pay anything voluntarily from the day DD was born more or less and in the past I have always had to go through the CSA to obtain any money from him so I feel like IF I did agree to this then he'd do it for a year and then stop doing it and then obviously I'd have no come back at all.

My question is if I did stop going through the CSA and he then stopped paying and reneged on the agreement would I then be able to go back to the CSA and ask them to investigate him again or would that be it? Would they refuse to get involved again.

When I ask him why he does not want to go through the CSA he gets very cagey and won't explain himself; he's just muttered something about it coming up as a court order on his wage slip and he doesn't like this.

Or...

Do I just send off the typed sheet he has given me to the CSA and ask them to investigate as to why he can give me this extra money? I know he has an apartment abroad that he part owns and I know the CSA still think his 18 year old son lives with my Ex (which he doesn't, the son lives with his sibling elsewhere).

I don't really want to upset the EX, things have only really settled down after a long and drawn out court ordeal so I would prefer to stick with the CSA, even though what I get paid through them is less it's consistant and regular.

BUT I'm also concerned that if I don't agree to this the EX will leave his job and I won't get anything CSA or otherwise (I'm convinced EX is earning a regular income from self employment elsewhere he's not exactly being honest about).

DUTR

Notsosharp wrote: »

My ex-partner started paying maintenance last year (after four years of not paying it because he was a student even though he actually DID work).

At the moment he pays £112 through the CSA which comes directly off his wages.

When he dropped my DD off today he came to me with a typed plan which amounted to £1800 a year versus £1344 (this is what I currently receive).

Basically this plan states he'll pay as follows:

10 x £120
3 x £200

OR

9 x £120
4 x £180

It is extra over what the CSA obtains from him but and it's a BIG but this is the man who has refused to pay anything voluntarily from the day DD was born more or less and in the past I have always had to go through the CSA to obtain any money from him so I feel like IF I did agree to this then he'd do it for a year and then stop doing it and then obviously I'd have no come back at all.

My question is if I did stop going through the CSA and he then stopped paying and reneged on the agreement would I then be able to go back to the CSA and ask them to investigate him again or would that be it? Would they refuse to get involved again.

When I ask him why he does not want to go through the CSA he gets very cagey and won't explain himself; he's just muttered something about it coming up as a court order on his wage slip and he doesn't like this.

Or...

Do I just send off the typed sheet he has given me to the CSA and ask them to investigate as to why he can give me this extra money? I know he has an apartment abroad that he part owns and I know the CSA still think his 18 year old son lives with my Ex (which he doesn't, the son lives with his sibling elsewhere).

I don't really want to upset the EX, things have only really settled down after a long and drawn out court ordeal so I would prefer to stick with the CSA, even though what I get paid through them is less it's consistant and regular.

BUT I'm also concerned that if I don't agree to this the EX will leave his job and I won't get anything CSA or otherwise (I'm convinced EX is earning a regular income from self employment elsewhere he's not exactly being honest about).

Ok there is a lot there, but let's pluck it down, it is child support not maintainance (for the ex) anyways , some employers would rather get rid of the employee than deal with DEO's .
I think you will have to make it clear that if you are to go ahead with the 'deal' then the contributions are recieved before the due date and NOT ONE solitary excuse or hard luck story will be accepted EVER. It is up to him to quickly get used to contributing regularly, tell him I said you soon get used to the outlay and after that it is a walk in the park, in fact sometimes money wise he maybe better off financially
Good luck.

kevin137

How long has he been paying by DEO...?

Could this just be a ploy for you to withdraw the CSA then have free months for a period...?

Could it be that he has just got a BIG pay rise and that he is hedging his bets by getting an agreement with you so that any reassessment is not done by the CSA...?

Ask him his reasoning for this, and then tell him you need time to think about it. But ask him all the questions that i have put, he may be red faced and embarrassed by his devious actions, or he may have nothing to hide at all...

What i would say, is you are getting money now, and you can ask for a reassessment at any time through the CSA, so if he has had a big pay rise, they will assess accordingly, but it could also go down if he earns less. That is the chance you take...

Personally, a guaranteed lesser amount would be preferential to taking a chance and getting nothing. And you could also remind him, that you are happy for the CSA to collect the lesser amount and for him to buy clothes etc direct for his child with the extra if he so chose...!

Notsosharp

kevin137 wrote: »

How long has he been paying by DEO...?

Could this just be a ploy for you to withdraw the CSA then have free months for a period...?

Could it be that he has just got a BIG pay rise and that he is hedging his bets by getting an agreement with you so that any reassessment is not done by the CSA...?

Ask him his reasoning for this, and then tell him you need time to think about it. But ask him all the questions that i have put, he may be red faced and embarrassed by his devious actions, or he may have nothing to hide at all...

What i would say, is you are getting money now, and you can ask for a reassessment at any time through the CSA, so if he has had a big pay rise, they will assess accordingly, but it could also go down if he earns less. That is the chance you take...

Personally, a guaranteed lesser amount would be preferential to taking a chance and getting nothing. And you could also remind him, that you are happy for the CSA to collect the lesser amount and for him to buy clothes etc direct for his child with the extra if he so chose...!

He's been paying through DEO from about December time, before that he paid nothing.

I don't think he has had a pay rise, he only stacks shelves for Tescos, unless he has had an income from elsewhere for a bit?

He won't tell me the reasoning, he just gets cagey and started shouting so I told him I'd think about it just to get him out of my house!

I don't think I'm going to fall for it, I think I'm just going to forward the sheet he has given me to the CSA and let them deal with him!

missbunbury

An option you could consider is to keep the CSA case open but tell them you want him to pay you directly, they can then stop the DEO (which should satisfy him if his reasons are as he says) and he could set up a standing order to your bank for at least as much as the current liability, you then still have the CSA assessment in place so if he stops paying you you can phone them up straight away and they can whack the DEO back on. If you are happy with the amounts offered, this could be a great solution, they call it Maintenance Direct. Do make sure you ring them straight away though if he stops paying you, they only take over from the week you ask them to, so if he misses three months and you leave it before ringing, you'll miss out on money. They would also need his agreement, if he won't speak to them you could suggest he writes a letter.

lindsaygalaxy

Last time my ex tried this on me, he was hiding a big payrise. The reason I use the CSA is to stop arguements about money and it being used as a weapon. Decide for you if the extra money is worth the risk.

DUTR

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Last time my ex tried this on me, he was hiding a big payrise. The reason I use the CSA is to stop arguements about money and it being used as a weapon. Decide for you if the extra money is worth the risk.

Other than merchant bankers, I cannot think f anybody that has had a BIG payrise in the last few years

WYSPECIAL

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Last time my ex tried this on me, he was hiding a big payrise. The reason I use the CSA is to stop arguements about money and it being used as a weapon. Decide for you if the extra money is worth the risk.

If he is hiding a big pay rise surely he would just keep quiet?

Maybe he has had a big pay cut and is testing to see if you will immediately go to the CSA if you think he has extra money then will laugh when the assessment goes down?

He is unlikely to pay extra while CSA case is open.

Notsosharp

But the thing is it was he who offered initially. He's been offering to pay extra for a while now. I'm quite happy to bumble along with what I'm getting from the CSA. If I was interested in only getting more from him then I would have gone to them when he made the initial offer!

What you have to try and understand is this is the guy who offered NOTHING for ten years. I've had to fight through the CSA for every penny he's given my daughter and that's taken the best part of a year so I don't really want to have to start again if he starts playing up.

I think if he would just be honest and tell me his motives for doing this then I would consider it but he's not at all which is making me highly suspicious.

And IF (it's a big if) he's come over with a conscious all of a sudden whats his issue with just paying over what I'm getting from the CSA (say an extra £30 a month or something?).

If he's not hiding a big payrise then what is he hiding?

Mojisola

Notsosharp wrote: »

But the thing is it was he who offered initially. He's been offering to pay extra for a while now.

Suggest that you stay with the CSA but he gives you the extra he has offered on top of that. You can give him a signed receipt each time if he wants.

WYSPECIAL

Mojisola wrote: »

Suggest that you stay with the CSA but he gives you the extra he has offered on top of that. You can give him a signed receipt each time if he wants.

That sounds a reasonable compromise then if he changes his mind he will be able to get the extra he has paid back by having his future payments cut.

If you're happy with what you have got don't change it.