CSA - any ideas please?

garyandsandra

Hello all

I am currently divorced and soon will be living with my new partner and her child. I have 2 children of my own who live full time with their mother 70 miles away.
Since we split I have had my children every fortnight, 3 weeks in the summer holidays and longer weekends on half term break etc. I have them over the Christmas period also. I also help with school shoes and uniforms when needed and any school trips.
We are in an agreed arrangement and I pay the ex 40 every fortnight when i have them. The cost in petrol to pick my kids up is around 55 pound every fortnight too.

My hours have been slashed at work and I now barely work 10 hours a week at £6.50 an hour. My boss is doing all he can (Construction Industry) to give me some hours and is very good with allowing me time to see my kids.
When I move in to my partners house we will be married and she works 16 hours a week and gets benefits for being a single parent like housing benefit and child tax credits.

Does anyone know where I stand with how it will effect my situation after moving in bearing in mind I will probably making it up to 24 hours a week in the household.

I need to cut the cost of of having my kids as I just cant afford it, especially since I will be doing my bit for my partners child as well. I love having my kids and dont want to jepordise that but was just wondering where I stand if the ex was to get miffed off and go down the CSA route.
Would they be able to make me pay anything on what the household brings in bearing in mind it costs me £110 a month just to collect the kids in petrol.
She has a new partner living with her now and is due to give birth any day now.
As i dad i want to do my bit fairly and equally but cant see how I can keep up paying out nearly £200 a month just to see my kids for 2 weekends out of each month. I have a new family too with a dependant child.

Sorry for such a long post, any help or advise will be much appreciated.

Caz3121

garyandsandra wrote: »

Hello all

I am currently divorced and soon will be living with my new partner and her child. I have 2 children of my own who live full time with their mother 70 miles away.
Since we split I have had my children every fortnight, 3 weeks in the summer holidays and longer weekends on half term break etc. I have them over the Christmas period also. I also help with school shoes and uniforms when needed and any school trips.
Is it 2 nights each fortnight or 1, you need to calculate the total number of nights in a year

We are in an agreed arrangement and I pay the ex 40 every fortnight when i have them. The cost in petrol to pick my kids up is around 55 pound every fortnight too.
There is the option for a reduction based on travel costs but
a) you cannot have this and the reduction for the overnights it is one or the other
b) the CSA would expect £15 per week to be the norm so will deduct £30 a fortnight leaving £25 that could be deducted from your income before the calculation


My hours have been slashed at work and I now barely work 10 hours a week at £6.50 an hour. My boss is doing all he can (Construction Industry) to give me some hours and is very good with allowing me time to see my kids.
When I move in to my partners house we will be married and she works 16 hours a week and gets benefits for being a single parent like housing benefit and child tax credits.
Does anyone know where I stand with how it will effect my situation after moving in bearing in mind I will probably making it up to 24 hours a week in the household.
Her single tax credits will be closed and you will open a new joint claim. They will also need your income details for the housing benefit claim

I need to cut the cost of of having my kids as I just cant afford it, especially since I will be doing my bit for my partners child as well. I love having my kids and dont want to jepordise that but was just wondering where I stand if the ex was to get miffed off and go down the CSA route.
They would assess as a % of your income
This will include your wage plus also the child tax credits
There will then be a deduction of 15% for the child in the household
Then it will be 20% of the rest with 1/7th reduction for each 52 nights spent with NRP each year

example wage £170 net, child tax credits £50 = £220 per week
less 15% for child in household = £187
maintenance = £37.40 per week for 2 children < 52 nights
or £32.05 if over 52 nights and under 104 nights

However the rules are different on low wage and you would pay less than the calculation
Reduced rate

This is used if the paying parent’s net weekly income is more than £100 but less than £200. They pay the flat rate of £5 plus a percentage of their net weekly income.

Would they be able to make me pay anything on what the household brings in bearing in mind it costs me £110 a month just to collect the kids in petrol.
Your partners income does not get used in the assessment although the tax credits does
child tax credits always
working tax credits only included if you are the higher earner

She has a new partner living with her now and is due to give birth any day now.
Not relevant to the CSA

As i dad i want to do my bit fairly and equally but cant see how I can keep up paying out nearly £200 a month just to see my kids for 2 weekends out of each month. I have a new family too with a dependant child.

Sorry for such a long post, any help or advise will be much appreciated.

Wish you luck with this

paddedjohn

I was led to believe that you can only reduce payments by including travel costs if the mother had moved a considerable distance away, not if the father moved himself, although the OP doesn't mention who moved.