Child tax credits used for CSA payments

sleeping_tiger

child tax credits shouldn't be used in csa calculations

shegirl

CSA do take tax credits as income and use it for assessment.This is well known,it's also done that way due to reductions for having more children.

Are you on new or old system btw?

Also,if your girlfriend has no or low wage and you will struggle surely it makes sense to work rather than have hardly anything coming in and choosing to not work,particularly when your girlfriend has been on maternity and without a wage?

clearingout

so what happens to the children you have fathered who do not live with you now that you aren't working? should they go without as a result of your decision not to work?

The issue you have highlighted is a highly emotive one. Quite simply, why should your partner's children be taken into account when assessing your income for child maintenance purposes? they are not your responsibility but the system cuts them some slack. By the same token, your children are cut some slack with the Tax Credit thing. It's probably not fair either way but that's the way it is.

You should run your details through the various calculators and make sure you are receiving everything you are entitled to: try www.turn2us.org.uk. You should make sure your CSA assessment has taken into account all the children living in your household. Your partner should also claim maintenance from the father of her children.

Bluemeanie_2

To balance it, they may be taking into account your partners 3 kids tax credits, but then you are also getting a reduction for non bio kids as well, so it all works out in the end roughly?

Also why do you think you should be on the nil rate? Even though I admit to seeing things more from an NRP's point of view due to being an NRP wife, I can;t stick up for you on this one. You should not have had another child if you didn;t want to support the ones you had. To be honest you've come across as a CSA evader by you giving up work and have had a shock by finding out tax credits are included.

I assume you partner is getting CSA for her 3 kids from her ex?

jayII

Sorry, but you can't afford the luxury of being a stay at home dad! You chose to have two lots of children to different partners and it is your responsibility to contrubute towards the upkeep of all of your children.

I really don't see why (any of) your children should suffer financially because you choose not to do a paid job. If your wife works from home then surely you could be out earning money! I'm saying that as a parent who always did paid work from home while the children were small, while my OH went out to work,

PreludeForTimeFeelers

Tax credits are awarded to a household - both you and your partner's income is taken into account when calculating tax credit awards, therefore a portion of this income is yours, and it is this portion that is used for child maintenance purposes. You should also get a reduction based on the 5 children in your household.
Recap: Your partner's children of no biological connection are reducing the amount of child maintenance you have to pay the children from your previous marriage.

shegirl

sleeping_tiger wrote: »

child tax credits shouldn't be used in csa calculations

Plenty of people got the point.

Aside from the fact that they are included because you get a reduction for those children despite getting more money for having them,the biggest point (one you didn't intend) is that you seem to think you shouldn't have to pay for your own children because you've decided to stay home,not work and look after someone elses!

The best thing you can do for everyone,including your 'crying girlfriend' is get a job!Simple.

sleeping_tiger

Bluemeanie wrote: »

To balance it, they may be taking into account your partners 3 kids tax credits, but then you are also getting a reduction for non bio kids as well, so it all works out in the end roughly?

Also why do you think you should be on the nil rate? Even though I admit to seeing things more from an NRP's point of view due to being an NRP wife, I can;t stick up for you on this one. You should not have had another child if you didn;t want to support the ones you had. To be honest you've come across as a CSA evader by you giving up work and have had a shock by finding out tax credits are included.

I assume you partner is getting CSA for her 3 kids from her ex?

yes she does £5 a week as he on the dole. I have paid thousands out in csa so not an evader as you think just having a few months break to spend with my family. One child lives with myself from previous relationship and the mother receiving the money from the child tax credits is on the dole so she pays £5 a week. Her tax credits aren't being taken into account.

jayII

sleeping_tiger wrote: »

yes she does £5 a week as he on the dole. I have paid thousands out in csa so not an evader as you think just having a few months break to spend with my family. One child lives with myself from previous relationship and the mother receiving the money from the child tax credits is on the dole so she pays £5 a week. Her tax credits aren't being taken into account.

Most parents spend thousands supporting their children, surely that is normal? They also usually support them all year round, every year...

Taking a few months break is your choice, but you must understand that your children still need food, clothes, roofs and so on.

sleeping_tiger

shegirl wrote: »

Plenty of people got the point.

Aside from the fact that they are included because you get a reduction for those children despite getting more money for having them,the biggest point (one you didn't intend) is that you seem to think you shouldn't have to pay for your own children because you've decided to stay home,not work and look after someone elses!

The best thing you can do for everyone,including your 'crying girlfriend' is get a job!Simple.

Not simple 5 child in childcare costs a fortune
I have paid thousands out is c/a payments over the years, and the children never go with out. I have stayed at home to look after all the children (2 are mine) and only for a short space of time, while partners business grows to provide for all our children.

All of our children have everything they need. They have the best of everything and that is all down too me and the 30 years working continuously in a high paid job working all hours and hardly seeing my children to make sure they had all of this. My point was that I have a break to spend time with my children (all of them) and the two that don't live with me are so happy to be able to spend more time with me. So then they take money from the child tax credit that the government says the family should have for the children. My ex pays £5 a week for child living with me her child tax credit aren't taken into account because she on the dole.

sleeping_tiger

jayII wrote: »

Most parents spend thousands supporting their children, surely that is normal? They also usually support them all year round, every year...

Taking a few months break is your choice, but you must understand that your children still need food, clothes, roofs and so on.

Yes is normal, taking a few months break was to spend time with children and let my partners business get up and running to benefit all the children. My ex is supposed to pay £5 a week for our daughter because she has been on benefits since I left. So okay for her to chose not to work but not okay for me to have a few months break to benefit everyone in the long run.

I would never not pay for them. But I don't believe child tax credits should be taken into account.