Child maintenance question.

Fruity1

My ex husband and I have been divorced for 6 years. We have 2 children. The eldest is considering moving back to the midlands to be with him for 6th form college.
Can anyone please advise me where I would stand legally regarding maintenance for the child I would be left with? He has paid continually since we split though I have never had a raise. He does earn somewhat more than me.
Many thanks in advance.

DomRavioli

Go to the CSA? or post on the CSA board on here for advice, its on the benefits and tax credits board.

GobbledyGook

You could either come to an agreement not to pay maintenance to each other or, as friends of mine do, each have an assessment and each pay the other what is assessed (or the one with the higher liability could just pay the difference - they both pay as they had to go through the CSA as it's very bitter between them)

Mojisola

Fruity1 wrote: »

My ex husband and I have been divorced for 6 years. We have 2 children. The eldest is considering moving back to the midlands to be with him for 6th form college.
Can anyone please advise me where I would stand legally regarding maintenance for the child I would be left with? He has paid continually since we split though I have never had a raise. He does earn somewhat more than me.

He should take over the child benefit for the eldest.

Work out what he should be paying you and you should be paying him and one of you hand over the difference. If you can't agree, go through the CSA as GobbledyGook said.

duchy

Put it into the CSA calculator - basically you'll pay him 15% of your earnings and he'll pay you 15% of his. As he is the higher earner he will still be paying something. Otherwise come to a private mutually acceptable agreement. If you can both agree what is fair you don't have to use the CSA figures.

shoe*diva79

duchy wrote: »

Put it into the CSA calculator - basically you'll pay him 15% of your earnings and he'll pay you 15% of his. As he is the higher earner he will still be paying something. Otherwise come to a private mutually acceptable agreement. If you can both agree what is fair you don't have to use the CSA figures.

This is inaccurate advice. The CSA now works by using a % of gross income. The figures you have quoted are the 2003 system which new cases do not get opened on and used lower % figures based on net income.

In addition OP, if you were to go through the CSA, whoever opens the case would need to pay a £20 application fee and then both the paying parent and receiving parent would pay fees on top of their assessment. Fees are currently 20% for paying parent and 4% for receiving parent.