Can CSA back date underpayment from me even if it was their fault?

donewithit

Hi,


I have had years of hassle from my ex and the CSA. I have always paid on time, never missed payments and when asks for reviews and information always do this swiftly. This includes 22 reassessment in 2013 and almost daily communication from them and us having to involve my MP for harassment.


The ex has obviously asked for a reassessment again and I dutifully gave them all my salary details, etc the day I received the request plus further information when requested a couple of weeks later. I've just received my payment calculation letter from CSA and they seem to have reduced my payments by 50% and I have no idea how this has been calculated.


What should I do? Do I go back to them to ask for this to be looked at? Stay quiet and take their calculations as red? Could they deem this to be their error down the line and then ask me to pay any of the potential underpayments back?? would they do that even though it is their error? Any advice would be greatly received.

rogerblack

You could take the third road, and place the excess in a high-interest account, and then consider what to do at the time the file is closed.

DUTR

Which scheme are you on? You should yourself be able to calculate what the payments should be if CSA2 or CSA3, the original CSA scheme is a little more complex to calculate.

donewithit

I'm on CSA2 scheme and can roughly calculate what I think I should be paying and I'm quite happy to put this aside for the children anyway as I do already in an account for them when I'm hoping the mother will stop being an idiot and let me see them again:) just wondering whether it just will be more hassle going back to CSA again given my nightmare history with them. Surely if its their mistake and I kicked up enough of a fuss they wouldn't make me backdate it again if they were to reassess?

DUTR

donewithit wrote: »

I'm on CSA2 scheme and can roughly calculate what I think I should be paying and I'm quite happy to put this aside for the children anyway as I do already in an account for them when I'm hoping the mother will stop being an idiot and let me see them again:) just wondering whether it just will be more hassle going back to CSA again given my nightmare history with them. Surely if its their mistake and I kicked up enough of a fuss they wouldn't make me backdate it again if they were to reassess?

I'm confused that you got 22 reassesments in one year, I was under the impression, they are at most every 13 weeks.

donewithit

yeah we were surprised too....hence why we went down the harassment route with the MP backing me. Was awful, lost my job and nearly had a breakdown due to CSA treatment and the ex and courts combined....shocking time. Glad to say since they had to give some answers to both MP and parliament as my MP brought in up there things have gladly calmed down. I am always aware though that every opportunity the ex gets to complain and ask for a reassessment she will...luckily its only been once in 2014 and once now since the initial issues.

moomoomama27

The reassessments take 12-13 weeks to complete!

There's no way 22 reassessments could have taken place. Perhaps 22 updates or 22 requests for information. But not 22 full assessments!

You need to be careful and put aside the money, it will no doubt catch up with you at some point, when they do the best reassessment perhaps?

Is it possible in the 22(!) reassessments that your actual wage figure was given wrongly or a number or decimal misplaced? It's worth going back through paperwork to check.