Claiming for fetching my own kids from their mum's?

ptwell

Hello. I hope I've dropped this in the right place, there were a few boards where I could have put it.
I'll try to be concise and not waffle!

My wife and I separated in late 2006 and she soon moved 50+ miles away with our two young children.
I have been fortunate enough to have them pretty much every weekend since then, Friday night to Sunday night. We never got around to divorcing even though we've both since been in other relationships and she's had another child, so this is an informal, amicable agreement.
The downside is that she does not drive and would not make the effort to use public transport so it's always been down to me (or my family) to collect and return them, at some expense.

A few days ago, my mum said shed heard somebody saying they'd been able to claim for such expenses and the payments were backdated. Unfortunately that was the end of the tale, she didn't know who they claimed from or how!

So I'm simply here to ask if anybody has any idea about this?

rachaelpie

My guess, and it is only a guess, that a back payment or claiming for travel expenses would be through CSA. The way I see it if A has kids and B pays CSA for kids, if A had to travel to send kids to B then they would claim through CSA. The only person you can claim from is the other person.
Again, that's my guess on it but I could be wrong

Caz3121

I know how this worked under CSA2 but not sure for the new system. It is not the case of claiming the expenses but a case of being allowed a deduction in maintenance based on excess travel costs

Firstly the travel subsistence could not be claimed in addition to the shared care reduction - it was one or the other, so if you currently had a reduction of 2/7ths then that deduction would stop

Secondly the way that travel costs are looked at is the following
"normal" travel cost £15 per week and the excess amount is deducted from the assessable income

examples based on income of £2,000 per month and £200 per month travel costs with 2 children 2 nights per week overnight

CSA2 ignoring the travel costs = £286 per month (£2000 * 20%) less 2/7ths

CSA2 with travel costs = £373 per month (£2000-£135 (£200-£15 per week) * 20%

As you have a private arrangement it is something that you may have to agree between you amicably