Government petition to make the parent receiving child maintenance provide receipts

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

I really think you ought to step up and tell us how much child maintenance you pay. What harm can it do? We are all anonymous here

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

My ex husband is a high earner so there is lots of money left over once I have paid for the kids.


I have botox and get my nails done and my teeth whitened.


You'd hate me

Teah1984

I don't hate my ex and I would not hate you as I said this is not a personal attack or vendetta on either my ex or anyone else. It was purely something that i personally felt strongly about making sure that my children received the money they are entitled to. However as I said since starting off this conversation this morning I have realised through people's views and comments that what I was saying is not as straightforward as when I thought it through that's why since starting the conversation I have decided that the petition is not the right way of going about things. My maintenance payment varies depending on my hours of work eg overtime, nightshift, back shift etc

Skibunny40

Well I thought it was a reasonable idea Teah1984!

I admit to no personal experience of child maintenance but if I was the parent receiving child support I'd be quite happy to explain where the money was going - and if there was some left over, it would go in the children's bank account, not spent on anything for my benefit.

I guess it depends how acrimonious the break-up was, but I certainly wouldn't see it as the other parent being abusive / having control issues.

WYSPECIAL

missprice wrote: »

Luckily this idea is a non starter. Toilet paper usage. Big can of worms open there.

Treat the children for worms, getting a receipt from the pharmacist of course, and save on toilet paper usage.:rotfl:

clearingout

Well, my ex doesn't pay maintenance. Will I be entitles to see his accounts, tax return and bank statements? Or does it only work the one way?

And seriously, if there is a bottle of wine on my supermarket receipt, how can you tell whether it was my mo eye or your money that bought it?

Guest101

clearingout wrote: »

Well, my ex doesn't pay maintenance. Will I be entitles to see his accounts, tax return and bank statements? Or does it only work the one way?

And seriously, if there is a bottle of wine on my supermarket receipt, how can you tell whether it was my mo eye or your money that bought it?

I think the op means if he gives £300, he wants to see £300 worth of receipts for kids things (or £600 if both parents contribute equally)

Stevie_Palimo

As others have said it would not work though.

Ie:- Household income of say £1500.00 monthly, EX maintenance £500.00 monthly still means the child's parent who has custody is getting more in her pocket and therefore policing what is spent is not feasible here.

If you get on well with your ex then why would you need anything like this ? , In my view it looks like a personal vendetta that is aimed at controlling your ex's spending and if she has nights out then so be it as it really is none of your business as long as the kids are looked after and fed, clothed and clean.

Teah1984

Guest101 wrote: »

I think the op means if he gives £300, he wants to see £300 worth of receipts for kids things (or £600 if both parents contribute equally)

This is what I was meaning however as I have said since everyone's comments and input I agree myself that this would not work as I had not taken into account the vast policing it would take and also the fact in certain cases people may use it as a tool to control the person in question which again I state in no way would this be acceptable. Going back to my original point the receipts in question would not be handed over to the paying parent but to the child maintenance agency to verify that ie £500 maintenance paid and that £500 had been spent on items or bills that directly benefitted the child/children in the case. Again I would like to state that this is not a personal vendetta against any one individual. This is my own opinion on maintenance and as I have said before most mothers/fathers receiving maintenance will be using it in the way it is intended to be used for the "child's maintenance" however my original point was that some people will be using for their own personal gains. As I have said since i now know that this idea is and was never feasible due to several factors.

eve31

Teah1984 wrote: »

This is what I was meaning however as I have said since everyone's comments and input I agree myself that this would not work as I had not taken into account the vast policing it would take and also the fact in certain cases people may use it as a tool to control the person in question which again I state in no way would this be acceptable. Going back to my original point the receipts in question would not be handed over to the paying parent but to the child maintenance agency to verify that ie £500 maintenance paid and that £500 had been spent on items or bills that directly benefitted the child/children in the case. Again I would like to state that this is not a personal vendetta against any one individual. This is my own opinion on maintenance and as I have said before most mothers/fathers receiving maintenance will be using it in the way it is intended to be used for the "child's maintenance" however my original point was that some people will be using for their own personal gains. As I have said since i now know that this idea is and was never feasible due to several factors.

It depends how much maintenance is being paid I suppose. If someone pays maintenance that is in excess of what it costs for half to raise the children then the excess could be used for the receiving persons personal benefit. But in reality a lot of resident parents receive minimal or no maintenance. Some people that do receive maintenance the amount doesn't go anywhere near what it costs to raise children.

Out of interest how much maintenance do you pay. I noticed you post on another forum and you said you have three boys that you have every other weekend. I think you'd be surprised in what it costs to clothe, feed, school activities, gas and electricity for washing machine, showers/bath and cooking etc, etc.

The child maintenance service or CSA are incapable as it is how would they get on with the huge administrative task of reconciling receipts to maintenance paid, it wouldn't work, it's logistically impossible.

Unless you are paying a lot I'd say over £350 a month you can guarantee that money is spent on the children.