Paying child maintenance after redundancy

Moog63

Hi All,

First post here.

I'm being made redundant in three weeks and my severance pay amounts to around two and a half month's of my previous take-home. I've been paying my wife child maintenance of £660/month for our three children (under 16) in line with the CSA online calculator, based on my salary as it was.

My question is, do I have to continue paying child maintenance at the same level until my severance pay runs out?

In fact, there are many questions I have but I've no idea where to get this sort of advice.

Hope someone can help me here!

TBagpuss

You don't necessarily have to pay at the same level. The CSA ignores your statutory redundancy pay, but if you have contractual redundancy on top of your statutory entitlement that may be taken into account.

Moog63

Many thanks for your help. I checked on the CSA online calculator and if I'm receiving benefits and seeing the children occasionally, I am not required to pay maintenance.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Nope you don't have to pay Maintenance. Whether you want to make any minimal contributions (JSA pay £5 a week for example) then that's up to you)

DigForVictory

What you have to do & what you may choose to do are two different things.

If it's acceptable, you can both pay a reduced amount & spend a bit more time with the children - I know extra time with parent can priceless even if we only fly a kite, or discuss books, or chuck pebbles into a pond.

Do check the redundancy board to see how you can help your finances prepare as best you can?