Do i Have to Pay Child Maintenance

onomatopoeia99

Comms69 wrote: »

Agreed, however it seems now that the chickens have come home to roost, the couple (or the mother) are out for their pound of flesh

What do the benefits agency (is that the current name?) do if a single parent claims income related benefits and they are not receiving maintenance from the other parent? Do they just make up the difference from the non-paying parent no questions asked, or do they get involved and ensure both parents are contributing?

I suspect it's the latter, so an alternate scenario might be mother claims a benefit of some kind, it gets looked at and someone notices there's no maintenance being paid and mother gets told to name the father of the child so they can be made to pay their share.

Perhaps someone with some benefits expertise could comment?

What I'm positing is that it may be the state that initiated this rather than the mother, and if so I'd find it difficult to say the state is wrong. In principle both parents should support a child they create, unless gamete donation is done via an HFEA licensed clinic. It is all too easy to see how allowing unofficial gamete donations to exempt a parent from supporting their child could be exploited to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The position the OP finds themselves in is unfortunate, that an act of kindness should carry such financial consequences, but people MUST MUST MUST do their research before agreeing to things like this.

Pollycat

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

What I'm positing is that it may be the state that initiated this rather than the mother, and if so I'd find it difficult to say the state is wrong. In principle both parents should support a child they create, unless gamete donation is done via an HFEA licensed clinic. It is all too easy to see how allowing unofficial gamete donations to exempt a parent from supporting their child could be exploited to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The position the OP finds themselves in is unfortunate, that an act of kindness should carry such financial consequences, but people MUST MUST MUST do their research before agreeing to things like this.

I asked the OP who the letter was from.

He replied:

dominicx wrote: »

they are split up now and single mother is actually contacted CSA and i received a letter from them saying how much to pay and asking me for proof of income etc .

Red-Squirrel_2

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

What do the benefits agency (is that the current name?) do if a single parent claims income related benefits and they are not receiving maintenance from the other parent? Do they just make up the difference from the non-paying parent no questions asked, or do they get involved and ensure both parents are contributing?

I suspect it's the latter, so an alternate scenario might be mother claims a benefit of some kind, it gets looked at and someone notices there's no maintenance being paid and mother gets told to name the father of the child so they can be made to pay their share.

Perhaps someone with some benefits expertise could comment?

What I'm positing is that it may be the state that initiated this rather than the mother, and if so I'd find it difficult to say the state is wrong. In principle both parents should support a child they create, unless gamete donation is done via an HFEA licensed clinic. It is all too easy to see how allowing unofficial gamete donations to exempt a parent from supporting their child could be exploited to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The position the OP finds themselves in is unfortunate, that an act of kindness should carry such financial consequences, but people MUST MUST MUST do their research before agreeing to things like this.

I thought benefits were unrelated to maintenance, so the state would have to pay the same amount regardless?

ska_lover

Comms69 wrote: »

Agreed, however it seems now that the chickens have come home to roost, the couple (or the mother) are out for their pound of flesh

You are full of clich!s today Comms hahaha


edit to add - Why does MSE blur out the word C L I C H E? That is just !!!!



Oh OP, this was very risky on all sides, to do this


Can you not make contact with the Mother and come to some kind of private arrangement (or does it not work like that?)

Comms69

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

What do the benefits agency (is that the current name?) do if a single parent claims income related benefits and they are not receiving maintenance from the other parent? Do they just make up the difference from the non-paying parent no questions asked, or do they get involved and ensure both parents are contributing?

I suspect it's the latter, so an alternate scenario might be mother claims a benefit of some kind, it gets looked at and someone notices there's no maintenance being paid and mother gets told to name the father of the child so they can be made to pay their share.

Perhaps someone with some benefits expertise could comment?

What I'm positing is that it may be the state that initiated this rather than the mother, and if so I'd find it difficult to say the state is wrong. In principle both parents should support a child they create, unless gamete donation is done via an HFEA licensed clinic. It is all too easy to see how allowing unofficial gamete donations to exempt a parent from supporting their child could be exploited to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The position the OP finds themselves in is unfortunate, that an act of kindness should carry such financial consequences, but people MUST MUST MUST do their research before agreeing to things like this.

The answer is they do neither.

Any CMS claim is totally separate to benefits.

Comms69

ska_lover wrote: »

You are full of clich!s today Comms hahaha


edit to add - Why does MSE blur out the word C L I C H E? That is just !!!!



Oh OP, this was very risky on all sides, to do this


Can you not make contact with the Mother and come to some kind of private arrangement (or does it not work like that?)

Yes a private arrangement is possible. Many parents agree this, and it can be higher or lower than what the CMS calculate as the minimum

Jemima_FuddleCup

what would happen if he were to deny paternity and refuse a test?

not suggesting he does this, but just thinking out loud really..

Comms69

Jemima_FuddleCup wrote: »

what would happen if he were to deny paternity and refuse a test?

not suggesting he does this, but just thinking out loud really..

The maintenance is then payable.


As is the cost of the test if the child is proven to be his.

HoneyNutLoop

Jemima_FuddleCup wrote: »

what would happen if he were to deny paternity and refuse a test?

not suggesting he does this, but just thinking out loud really..

Parentage would be assumed on the basis of his refusal to take a DNA test.

In respect of Onomatopeia’s point - the requirement to claim child maintenance when claiming single parent benefits was removed around 15 years ago. The state pay the same, irrespective of whether or not child maintenance is received.

There is no doubt the op is getting a raw deal. Unfortunately, he entered into an arrangement with enormous ramifications without really looking into what he was getting himself involved in.

The whole set up seems...I dont’t know, cavalier. He didn’t know the couple well, but well enough to know they wanted a baby. He says he offered his services, not that they asked. He visited their home. They obviously knew enough about him for CMS to trace him but he seems to know little about them. They did the whole thing privately, which gives him 0 legal protection. He is effectively in the same position as someone who had a one night stand, with the exception that he knew he was making a baby.

Unless a DNA test proves he is not the biological father (which probably is not outside the realm of possibility) he is the child’s legal parent. With the birth mother being the other legal parent.

HoneyNutLoop

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

If i were the OP I'd have no issues doing this if the mother is trying to screw me over financially.


Sod them

:eek:

So the child can have 2 morally bankrupt parents instead of just the one?