Child maintenance calculations

Huxley71

Hi, I (along with many thousands of other people I'd imagine!) am at my wits' end with the utter incompetency of the Child Maintenance "Service" and following yet another futile and frustrating conversation with them yesterday I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on exactly how their calculations are made as this seemed wildly beyond the capabilities of the person I spoke to.

Currently there is a discrepancy of just under £200 p/m between what their calculator suggests I should be receiving and the amount I actually receive and to date their only explanation is that their own calculator "isn't exact" - I could accept this if the difference were 20p, or even 20 quid but £200 seems a bit extreme! 

I work in hospitality for a little above minimum wage and am furloughed at least until May, while my ex husband is on a six figure salary so the extra cash would make a huge difference, I just need to ascertain whether I should indeed be receiving it. Any help or insights would be hugely appreciated.

Penguin_

You will need to provide details such as the amount your ex earns a year, how many children & their ages. Do they have overnight stays with their Dad, if so how many a year?

Does he pay you direct or via the Child Maintenance Service (or whatever they are called at the moment).

ZaSa1418

So the calculator tells you one figure and their official calculation in your letters tell you something different? Are you sure you know what he is being paid? 
Is he a PAYE employee ? 

Huxley71

Thanks for such swift replies guys 

I've put all the relevant details into their calculator: his salary according to his last P60, the fact that he has two other children in his household, and calculated the amounts for both Band A shared care and no shared care (there was no shared care up until recently when after a two year struggle I finally succeeded in convincing the CMS he wasn't seeing DS, coincidentally enough as soon as the payments went up he was suddenly keen to see him EOW) both of which show similar discrepancies.

Not sure about the PAYE thing, would that make a big difference?

Huxley71

@Penguin_ He pays direct, so there aren't any admin deductions or whatever.

Penguin_

Then you need to claim through the CMS & state he isn't paying you enough. They will start the claim from the date you submit & cannot (as far as I know) back date. 

Huxley71

Yes, it's all been going through the CMS since the outset, but the amount they've stated he should pay is different from the amount given by their online calculator. I think it's safe to assume he's unlikely to pay the difference out of the goodness of his heart so I want to challenge their calculation but need to know how exactly how it's been reached in order to do so.

burlingtonfl6

£200 difference seems quite large amount!
How much is he currently paying?

Penguin_

Do you have your notice from the CMS which outlines what he is expected to pay you? Do the amounts on there correspond to the amount he is paying?

Alias_Omega

Hi Huxley,

I am a dad, I pay via the CMS. It is very unfair, as the Resident Parent gets paid what is on the P60 and not what is actually being paid. If someone had a pay rise (less than 10% post P60 value), they don't need to declare it until the next P60 arrives. 

I have 2 children, therefore 16% of Gross Wage (not allowances)
I am also on Band A of Shared Care, this is a 1/7 deduction.

The maths for me are - 

• 16% payment
• A further reduction by 1/7th for shared care

So,  £40,000 Gross (For example) -

• 16% gives £6400 per year
• With the 1/7th off, it becomes £5485.71
• Or, £457.14 pcm

I cannot advise on the reduction for other children in the property, but its likely to be after the above. Is this deduction before or after the 1/7th? Where does the extra children fit into the calculation. Also, if there are Special Expenses to be paid, they will reduced from source.

TBagpuss

Does he have any other children?