dan.evans

Me and the misses have had a nasty split recently, and she has rang csa on me. Before anyone starts i have always payed for my kids and not looking for a way out. Im struggling to understand how the payments work. I know that because i earn over £200 a week and have 2 kids they take 20% of my wages. But my basic week is £360 after tax, but if i get over time and a few extra things at work that can go from £360 a week up £700 maybe a bit more. But its not guarented every week. So how do they work the 20% out, is it of a basic week or what i earn every week, so it changes?

austinwrx

all I can say is I'm sorry to hear yr news. My wife works for the inland revenue who administer it and they are nasty barstewards once they get yr teeth into and starting making deductions.

I'd ring their advice line/call into an office asap and get some proper advice.

their backlog for sorting errors can be measured in centuries.

stilover

From what I know from friends in the same position. If you get overtime, but not on a regular basis (most weeks) then you don't have to declare it or pay extra.

Just don't let your ex know if youre working overtime, as she can ring up and make trouble.

TelBoy

Dan, they'll need evidence of your wages, either a P60 or weekly wage slips. Once they're onto you there's no legal way of hiding.

dan.evans

iv got to send them 5 weeks worth of payslips and they all have overtime on. But next month i might not get any. I really dont get it

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

They will take a few months wage slips and take an average. Best to delay this for as long as you can and work flat hours for the time being.

TelBoy

What they'll probably do is work out an average amount based on the 5 weeks' wage slips, and review it in a year's time. If you want it reviewed earlier you can, if your earning situation has materially changed (not just a bit of overtime difference). Year on year you'll average out at 20%.

dan.evans

Thats what il do, il get a few were iv only earnt a bit more, nothing to stupid so they can work it out that way. Im not expecting my kids to go with out, but i know that she will spend the money on her self if she gets to much.

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Oh and if you can, sort it out between yourselves.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

If I were you, I would come to an agreement with your ex. Your rate to pay her is roughly £72 per week, so offer her a flat figure in excess of that per week. However, bare in mind that she could revisit it again in the future.

The idea seems to be that they take an average of your weekly salary for a period of time as in indicator for the year. It includes overtime unfortunately. However, at the end of the year, you can tot up the total paid by you and if more than your annual total wages (20% of obviously) then you can get a reduction on the amount being paid. But be aware that it works both ways and she can have you re-assessed for a past year and claim underpayment if that is the case.

I pay my ex more than I legally need to and pay it direct into her rent etc, so that my daughter always has the roof over her paid for whatever the ex does with her money.

the hamster

iTrader: (7)

as above, i've had a private agreement for 15 years. Do ANYTHING to avoid going through the CSA. If they assess you then you're basically screwed as the weekly amount they decide upon will be the benchmark you'll have to pay, regardless of what you earn. I'm self employed so the pressure to pay was huge, so I offered it privately to my ex and she told the csa to drop it.

Only 1 year to go, then we can re-assess it between me, my ex and my daughter, depending on wether she goes to university or gets a job.

TelBoy

Hamster, that's a very relevant point. When your daughter is 18, are you intending to tell your ex to stick it (assuming she goes to uni) and pay your daughter directly? Can your ex block that, or is it legally indefensible? Can the ex insist that you still pay your daughter a given % of your wage or does it merely depend on what the two of you arrange with each other?

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

The money will have to go to the mother/guardian while the child/dependant is in full time education. I think the cut off age is 21.

BLU

iTrader: (27)

Not correct, either yourself or the ex can get a reassessment if it is justified. (speaking from personal experience dealing with the csa) Sometimes the csa has to be involved i.e. if one of the parents is claiming benefits.

OP basically you'll pay 20% of the average of what you earn on the last 5 wageslips. If its a lot more than you can manage you may be able to argue the point that your overtime is not guaranteed. They're not as closed book as most people would have you believe!

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Yes CSA ruin peoples lives

I used to pay £480 a month under the old system for ten years
For you it will be 20% off your net pay
Best to show 5 payslips with no overtime on then it will be ok for a year

No way nowadays to beat the system as its taken off at source
The old system there was self employment so you could trade at a loss and landlords and rental agreements
Many people quit their jobs because of the CSA
If your on speaking terms with your ex which in most cases are rare try to come to some private agreement

They cocked up my payments at the end so I owe them 2k and i refuse to pay more then £15 a month out of badness
Most people have arrears my mate is paying £15 a month for the next 40 years aprox

TelBoy

How sure are you about that? I definitely remember being told (although much of it is a blur now) that once the child reaches 18, everything is potentially up in the air, whether they're at uni or not. Is that not the case, 100%?

PaulC72

offer your ex £100 per month with extra if you do any overtime, explain that under the current calculations it is £72 per week and she will see the extra money as a bonus and probably take you up on it, however she will still be able to go CSA route anytime she wants.

If you agree make sure she contacts them to advise that an agreement has been made otherwise they will keep chasing you as the instruction has to come from her.

If you can get one of the kids living with you it will also negate any claim (based on 2 kids 3 would be different)

legb4rsk

Make sure you don't pay for the time you have the children.Weekends,holidays etc.

the hamster

iTrader: (7)

Its basically reflects on the benefits that my ex recieves for my daughter. If they stop when she leaves education then I can stop paying maintenance. As a father I will always support my daughter through her life so i'll sit down with her and have a chat when the time comes.

I'm looking forward to her becoming an independant adult, so I dont have to have anything to do with my ex financially.

I've had a tough time with the csa for years. I was originally assessed in 1998 @ £60 a week on a £200 pw wage. I told my ex that I couldnt afford it so she said "ok, give me £40 a week private and i'll call the CSA", which we did. 6 years later, they contacted me stating I owed 18 grand and they were taking me to court, so we had to drag up years of bank statements etc to prove what i'd paid. Basically, all the time I was paying private, she was claiming she was getting nothing, and recieving full benefit off the government. After sorting all that out, I then got more letters over the next 5 years saying I owed anything from 27 grand to 9 grand, to Zero. I would call the csa and they would have no record of my case etc etc. The stress was brutal.

Now I contact them every 2 years for an assessment. My last 3 years wages have been under 10k p.a (thanks to my accountant ) and my payments have been relevant to this. All parties have been happy so i'm hoping it stays that way til she's 16/18.

My advice, plain and simple. Get a private agreement IN WRITING and dont default on it. Either that or earn minimum wage for the next year and beg for a re-assessment.

the hamster

iTrader: (7)

You stop paying maintenance when the parent/guardian stops getting help from the government, either when they leave school or reach age 18.

mart360

Step up to the plate and become a responsible father

in that i mean have the children stay with you for more than 100 nights of the year.

This has a massive bearing on the calculations they do as they base the percentages desucted on the amount of time they spend with each parent.

I used to pick my eldest up on a friday night, and return him to school on a monday morning..

add 3 weeks of the summer holidays 1-3 half terms & easter / christmas etc..

it worked out he was with me every week effectivley. coupled with travelling distance in excess of 13 miles... makes big reductions in the deductions

(well it did when i did it )


Mart

mart360

Its 19 if they are still in education!!! luckily my eldest left when he was 18 ..

Mart

abbott

CSA are nothing short of absolute ***** "yes i did say the C word"

A few years ago same as yourself nasty breakup with the ex "who ran off with her friends father might i add"
Decided to screw me over with CSA but not let me contact the kids etc , Basically i was stumped and unfortunately found out the week i worked 72 hours "1week before chrimbo" that i could not earn over circa £149.00 without it being swindled by the CSA "due to a phantom letter i supposedly received 5 weeks prior meaning i was now in debt to them"

They are nasty nasty *******s on the phone also even when i was attempting to be nice , theres no two ways about it either

A-Your propa ****ed !
B-Try reach an agreement with the ex

Thankfully i managed to sort out an agreement with her , but it scares the living crap out of me which she bloody know's of being CSA'd again !!

Lee247

Do NOT get involved with CSA. They are a bunch of useless idiots. I do Payroll for a few Companies and have seen people get to such a state, you have no idea. (Usually men).
They are so incompetent, it is unreal and takes months to sort out.
Have a word with your ex and try to sort it private. It's the right way. All the best

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Hmm, it's just what I've been told by fathers that are paying the CSA.

I guess I'll have to wait and see, not that it would bother me paying still, if he stated in full time education. It would be nice though, if it went to him rather than subsidising the existence of his loser step dad.


*leaves thread, before I throw the pad against the wall.

Galifrey

iTrader: (3)

Just had my letter stating I no longer have to pay as there is no longer an eligible child.

They rang me this week to tell me I was due a refund, I said leave it with my ex, just glad to be shot of the CSA at last.

I had an agreement with my ex, even paid it while I was unemployed (out of my savings), she heard I had a new job and then contacted the CSA screwing me right over.

I then went self employed and returned the favour, but the agravation getting my assessment reduced and then stopped when I closed my business was horrendous, they are the most incompetant bunch of idiots I have ever had to deal with, do everything you can to avoid them.

PS receipt of child benefit by the parent with care is the decider as to whether you pay or not.

TelBoy

So if the government scrapped child benefit for any child over 18, regardless of their education status, that would be the end of it?

PaulJC

iTrader: (1)

The CSA are a nightmare... You can request a reassesment but it will be when they get round to it, i started a new job in october last year and i'm still waiting...

If you can make a private arrangement, even if it costs you slightly more then do it, no cash payments though, setup a SO straight to her bank account so you'll always have records for when they come back years later to tell you that you've not been paying...

EDIT - Also your requirement to pay starts from the day the claim is made, so by the time they actually make a decision and set a figure it'll be back dated and you'll be in £000's of arrears already, if you've calculated what it's going to be then i suggest you start stashing that in an account somehwere for when that time comes.

Glynmitch

Messy break up + 3 kids + CSA = £580 per month

Ex is a complete b*tch who wouldn't accept money directly from me. She insisted in getting the CSA involved. Now she won't let me see my children and is turning them against me I've had to get a solicitor and all sorts. Bad times

Dave Y

iTrader: (52)

where do u live?there is a chap in cradley heath who deals with csa on the mans behalf.Not cheap but worth it