CSA made a mistake....REALLY!

icclebug

Hi everyone,

Bit of background - I have never shirked away from paying for my daughter and stupidly overpaid for a lot of years. Pre 2006 payments were always made directly to my ex-wife, then she decided to go to the CSA. From April 2006 until May 2010 payments were made through the CSA. From May 2010 onwards we went back to direct payments, now she has gone back to the CSA again.

Today I received a call from the CSA saying that I owe them £1125 from April 2008 until May 2010. When they elaborated they said that I informed them my salary changed in April 2008 and payments should have increased by £10 per week, but due to an 'administrative error' they didn't make any changes.

5 years on, they are saying because of 'their' mistake I owe them £1125.

As with most things CSA, I presume I cannot argue but just wanted some advice on whether or not I am liable even though it was their error.

Many thanks in advance,

Richard

clearingout

would you want your money back if they had assessed you incorrectly and you had paid £10 a week too much for all these years?

Unfortunately, they do make mistakes - both ways - and both sides get stung in this way. I am unaware of any loop-hole that makes the CSA liable in these situations. Very frustrating, whichever side of the fence you may be sitting on.

icclebug

Thank you for the reply, I get your point. Very frustrating that they are so incompetent and 5 years down the line I have to pay. I would have rather paid it back then.

kevin137

Have you actually checked yourself to make sure they have it correct NOW....??? It is all well and good them saying they made a mistake, but they now need to prove that the mistake was made, and unless they could actually do that, then i would not be accepting it...

The 1st thing you need to make sure is that if the change in earnings was LESS than 5%, then they could not reassess anyway... It may be that you have to check and double check... But do go through it, and raise a complaint if you believe it is incorrect NOW...

krashovrload

clearingout wrote: »

would you want your money back if they had assessed you incorrectly and you had paid £10 a week too much for all these years?

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Do they actually pay money back if you've paid too much? Or do they view it as you decided to pay more than you needed and that was your choice.??

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clearingout

krashovrload wrote: »

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Do they actually pay money back if you've paid too much? Or do they view it as you decided to pay more than you needed and that was your choice.??

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I don't know the official stance but certainly there have been posts here where the PWC has been made to pay back over-payments, yes.

icclebug

kevin137 wrote: »

Have you actually checked yourself to make sure they have it correct NOW....??? It is all well and good them saying they made a mistake, but they now need to prove that the mistake was made, and unless they could actually do that, then i would not be accepting it...

The 1st thing you need to make sure is that if the change in earnings was LESS than 5%, then they could not reassess anyway... It may be that you have to check and double check... But do go through it, and raise a complaint if you believe it is incorrect NOW...

Thanks for the reply.

I have asked for proof, on the figures they have given it is more than 5%. Lets see what they send.

icclebug

Another question please.

As I'm self-employed the CSA have just done a calculation on the info my accountant has provided. They asked for 6 months wage slips and dividend certificate, which I sent. They have decided the amount I need to pay.

How often do they need to do a recalculation?

thank you

clearingout

they will recalcuate when you ask them to as a general rule, I think. They have certainly always done it for me when I've asked but I'm PWC.

icclebug

clearingout wrote: »

they will recalcuate when you ask them to as a general rule, I think. They have certainly always done it for me when I've asked but I'm PWC.

Many thanks

Crellow4

Sounds like you are a Director - NOT self employed. If you receive a salary you will be assessed on this, your Dividend will be included only if the PWC applies for a Variation.