child support when first child goes to university.

Cris1970

Has any one got any advice on maintenance payments/child support when a first child goes to university?
I have three children, two from first relationship. I have paid child support without a legal agreement using CSA calculator as a guide. I always have paid over the advised level so have never needed to go down legal route.
My eldest son is off to University in 18 months.
I am aware I will need to keep on paying csa or maintenance till he finishes full time education. However am unsure whether I should be paying him or his mother.
Is there a formula for when one child goes to university? Should I just carry on paying mother of oldest two same money till he finishes University?
How are student loans calculated for university etc? Both myself and oldest two children's mother earn £30000.

kingfisherblue

Full time education usually refers to education up to age 18. University is not usually included. However, for some older cases, I believe it was included. You might find it better to post on the Child Support board, where there are people who have knowledge and experience (I'm not saying anyone here won't be knowledgable or experienced, but there is more likely to be someone on the other board).

restless6

You dont pay child support once they go to uni, not unless you want to.

My son has just started and the CSA have written confirming the end of child support from his dad.

Vikipollard

What does your Consent Order say?

Mine said 'until they reach the end of full-time education (18)' and we manually funded youngest when he went to Uni, where my now DH's said 'whilst in education until the end of first undergraduate degree'.

I didn't go through the CSA route either, manually agreed amount, just written in to Consent Order as above.

DH was taken that way as his ex believed she should have 50% of his salary, not the 25% he was paying for 2 kids anyway. That went well...

Cris1970

I did not go to court to get a consent order and after bad experience of solicitor at time of split.
I calculated what I should be paying and added a bit. I suggested to my ex at the time of split that if she was not happy she(we) could go to court or CSA and I was happy to pay what they suggested though it might be less.
Contact with children was done with an informal arrangement. alternate weekends and days in week.

This has resulted in me rather confused to do about how to calculate my proportionate share or contribute initially to eldest as he goes to University and the amount to ex for second child. However taking inconsideration changed circumstances of my present partner and child.

mrs_motivated

My ex stopped sending payments for DD to me when she went to uni, he did however send a monthly allowance to her of £150 a month to help her out until she graduated, which was what he previously paid to me (£150 per child, per month), this was an amount we agreed between ourselves when we divorced around 13 years ago.


Just for info , I also sent her £40 a week and paid her phone bill. It might be worth discussing with her mum how much she is planning on helping her financially, so that can be factored into your decision

TBagpuss

If it has always been informal, with no order or CSA arrangement then unless there is a new informal arrangment it would be CMO rules, which allow maintenance to be paid until the child leaves full time, non-advancededucation, or until they turn 20, if that happens sooner. So you can stop paying once the child finishes A levels or equivalent and goes to university.

Obviously at that point it may well be appropriate to make payment direct to your son or, if he is planning to live at home, to continue to pay his mum. Either way, make sure that you give Mum 2-3 months notice so that she has time to adjust her budgets.

RAS

Hi

I would suggest going back to the CMS web-site and calculating what you would pay under the new scenario. Bear in mind that CMA assumed 15% for one child and 20% for 2, but allowed a 15% deduction from the NRP's income for the first child living with them.

So what you pay to your ex would go down by 25% not by 50% and you may not therefore have a lot to contribute to junior at university.

I would suggest that you talk to your ex nearer the time as the transitional period of time when the child goes to university can be a nightmare for the PWC. They stop getting Child Benefit and any other benefits (CTC/WTC) on August 31. They also lose the single person's allowance on CT. And if there are any benefits it can take some weeks to work through.

Junior only gets their loan at the end of September and someone has to fund the interim. Obviously junior can sort out the CT letter once they are registered. And if junior is leaving home there are lots of costs upfront.

So it might be politic to keep paying the full amount to mum for an extra month or two on the understanding that it stops in October or November.

Make sure junior knows that the reduction to mum is only 25% and then negotiate any direct payment with them. My view is that they need most support at the end of term and in holidays if not working.

Simillar

A normally communicate at all? With your ex?

Will23

If your child is under 18, for sure that you will have to pay but once he goes to the university it is up to you to give the money to his mum or directly to him. Personally, I had problems about the payment with my ex so I decided to give him directly.