csa question- long

katiesmummy

my ex & i have a 7 yo dd. we split up before she was born & as i was on income support i had to give his name etc to the csa who after 3 years calculated that he had to pay #5.30 per week towards our dd. when i questioned this as it seemed to be a very low amount for someone who works full time, lives with his mum & doesnt have any other kids i was told that his payslips state that he only earns #50 per week. he works for his friend and obviously got him to fiddle his pay so he gets most of it cash in hand. by the time the asessment was completed i was working full time & didnt pursue the issue.

things have now changed as i am expecting a baby with my partner who has just lost his job so money is pretty tight. i am thinking about making a new claim, as the old one was never persued & i never received any money. problem is he still works for the same person and i can bet that he will just do the same thing all over again. my question is, if i do make a new claim, how can i prove that he works and earns more than he says he does? i know that he works 6 days a week and has done ever since he started there, so he was blatantly lying the first time round. is it gonna be a total waste of my time? sorry, i know this is really long

mrsspendalot

sadly, i think that it will be a waste of time if his mate will fiddle the figures. My hubby's dad avoided paying child support for over 15 years by fiddling his income figures through working for a friend. She was owed about £35,000 for the kids by the time liability for them ended. She never did or will see a penny of it.

kelloggs36

You would have to have the old case completely closed first - and after 13 weeks you can apply again under the new rules - I assume from the age of your child that the case is under the old rules.

You do of course run the risk that his friend will do this again but you can ask them to refer the case to Criminal Compliance to investigate. They have powers of investigation that they never had before such as getting his bank account details which will clearly show the true amount of wages going into his account etc. You have nothing to lose, but don't hold your breath at it being sorted quickly because I can almost guarantee that it won't be.

katiesmummy

thank you both for your replies- kellogs i dont know if my case is under old or new rules, sorry.

i spoke to her dad over the weekend about giving me some financial support for dd- he has offered #10 per week. my oh said he is taking the mick and i should be asking for at least #20, i dont know whether to just cut my losses and take it as i am thinking that dd will probably be in big school by the time the csa sort themselves out!

i am going out jobhunting today but being almost 5 months pg not sure how successful i will be!

Scarlett1

katiesmummy wrote: »

thank you both for your replies- kellogs i dont know if my case is under old or new rules, sorry.

i spoke to her dad over the weekend about giving me some financial support for dd- he has offered #10 per week. my oh said he is taking the mick and i should be asking for at least #20, i dont know whether to just cut my losses and take it as i am thinking that dd will probably be in big school by the time the csa sort themselves out!

go via the CSA, offering you £10 to keep you quiet is taking mick and your ex knows it, deping on how much he earns he could be paying you in the region of between £30 to £50 per week, dont let the time the CSA take to sort out a case put you off in getting the full amount you are entitled too, good luck

kelloggs36

It is also very easy to find out what system you are on - just call them and ask.