C.S.A. - Please someone help me - worried :(

xgingerx

Hi, I have just receieved forms from the CSA for my daughter who lives with my ex wife.

I am very worried as although I earn 26500 Gross a year I owe almost 29k in unsecured debt which i taking most of my salary with rent and that.

I am worried that if i fill in the forms which I understand and have no problem paying towards my child but what happens if they wnat to take so much it leaves me with nothing, do I then have to dafualt on my debts becasue of this and spoil a good credit file? The debts were built up after my wife so I cant blame gher for this.

It is all unsecured and dont have any property but do the csa take this into account, Ive been told not ?

I honestly dont know what to do for the best, I can pay something but if it runs above 200 Im going to be in trouble.

Any advise please would be appreciated

Thankyou as I feel sick in my stomach with worry on what to do.

Kimitatsu

You need to go and see the CAB or a debt councillor.

The CSA is classed as a priority debt so regardless of whatever other debts you have that money will be deducted from your salary, if you default on payment then they will apply for an attachment to earnings order which will be taken at source.

Similarly if you decide to go down the bankruptcy route (not suggesting you do!) then the money due to the CSA is protected and is paid out before any of your creditors.

Under the new system it is a flat rate of 15% of your net salary for the first child, and they take no account of any debts etc that you have run up since splitting with your wifr.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you need to seek proper help and negotiatie the payment of the debt with your creditors. Many will accept reduced payments as long as you can show that you are living within your means.

xgingerx

Hi, thankyou for the prompt reply, u say that the csa is set at 15% of net salary os would mean i pay about 57 / week or 247 / year, so they wont take more than this should they?

I only got the letter yesterday but my child is 6, will they try and backdate it to when she was born ?

TheWaltons_3

xgingerx wrote: »

Hi, thankyou for the prompt reply, u say that the csa is set at 15% of net salary os would mean i pay about 57 / week or 247 / year, so they wont take more than this should they?

I only got the letter yesterday but my child is 6, will they try and backdate it to when she was born ?

No. If this is the first time the CSA has contacted you, providing you are cooperative and haven't been avoiding letters for years... they will assess you from now.

xgingerx

Thankyou, thats a relief

Like I said I dont have a problem paying towards my daughter but it was a bit out of the blue getting these forms

TheWaltons_3

xgingerx wrote: »

Thankyou, thats a relief

Like I said I dont have a problem paying towards my daughter but it was a bit out of the blue getting these forms

Have you not seen your ex for some time?

Is she working or on benefits?

xgingerx

Hi me and my ex get on better now that when we were married, I always have access to my daughter whenever I want which is at least once a week. She has never pursued me through the CSA as she is good like that and I have bought clothes for my child and take her out for days etc so never really never had a problem.
She does not work and does claim benefits and she did pre warn me that they had contacted her and no doubt I would recieve a letter from them but doesnt want to cause me hardship.

Think she got the letter at her house the day before mine

TheWaltons_3

xgingerx wrote: »

Hi me and my ex get on better now that when we were married, I always have access to my daughter whenever I want which is at least once a week. She has never pursued me through the CSA as she is good like that and I have bought clothes for my child and take her out for days etc so never really never had a problem.
She does not work and does claim benefits and she did pre warn me that they had contacted her and no doubt I would recieve a letter from them but doesnt want to cause me hardship.

Think she got the letter at her house the day before mine

Hmmm

If she were claiming only JSA or similar, I think the benefits agency try to make people claim CSA or they wont give them the income support amount for the child... so in that case, she would have no choice.

Your ex hasn't done this to be spiteful, they have backed her into a corner and she has been left with no alternative BUT to apply for CSA. The government will want YOU to pay for your child rather than them, for obvious reasons.

Do you have a pension scheme through work? If you paid more into this, your net income would be less and so when the CSA do their calculations... you would be paying them less, if you see what I mean.

This is a shame, because now you'll be left worse off and the Mother of your child wont see much of this money.

Does she intend to go back to work?

xgingerx

Hi, I think she will go back to work maybe next year but to be honest I dont know this for a fact.

Thanks for taking the time to reply as it is appreciated.

It is a bit of a shock as thats nearly 250 extra to find a month

Never Mind, life goes on and at the end of the day she is my daughter who I am besotted with and agree the gov should not have to pay this.

Its just pretty bad timming with the debt i already have

TheWaltons_3

xgingerx wrote: »

Hi, I think she will go back to work maybe next year but to be honest I dont know this for a fact.

Thanks for taking the time to reply as it is appreciated.

It is a bit of a shock as thats nearly 250 extra to find a month

Never Mind, life goes on and at the end of the day she is my daughter who I am besotted with and agree the gov should not have to pay this.

Its just pretty bad timming with the debt i already have

Have you considered contacting Payplan or CCCS - they will sort out an informal debt management plan for you and you can relax and pay less to your creditors, and also, alot of the time they will freeze or stop the interest so that at the end of the month you can be making reduced payments, have a budget to stick to (which isn't unreasonable if you live within your means).

I don't think you can make a private arrangement in this case. Have you suggested to your partner that she go back to work? She would be better off with working as she could get Tax credits and ALL the maintenance you pay for your child will get to your child.

xgingerx

Hi, I think I need to buy some time, what would happen if i ignored this first letter ? would this give me a few months to play with to clear some of my smaller debts?

I dont really want to lie but on the letter they want a reply in 7 days so could start taking money very soon, where as if i had a few months I could clear some of the smaller debts which would free up some of my monthly out goings to cover some of this if you see what i mean?