Branch manager Pay at Sainsburys

[runningonmt]

Really random thread I know but does anyone out there have the foggiest idea how much a branch manager gets paid at sainsburys (and any other current perks ie. bonuses, shares etc).

Long story short I am having an ongoing battle with the CSA over exH child support payments. Working backward from their assessment would suggest exH is taking home £30k apx. He is a branch manager for Sainsburys (medium size store) and from this assessment it appears he is earning LESS than he was 8 years ago when he was only a senior deputy manager !!!! Something isnt right but how can I work out how much he is earning when I have no access to pay slips.

I am not a money grabbing cow trying to screw every last penny out of him but I am working school hours and trying to support my own child with a disability, and pay my mortgage and the bills etc..... He sees his son maybe twice a year for a few hours so I dont get a break as I am either at work or looking after DS at home. I cant increase my hours at work as I cannot get suitable childcare for my DS because of his additional needs.

I am trying to keep my head above the water but there is only so much I can do on my own........ any advice would be appreciated.

[trixymalixy]

this says a store manager will be on a minimum of £60k.

[runningonmt]

Thanks trixymalixy ..... that is a bit of an eye opener !!!!

Anyone else got any ideas on the how I become invisible to sneak into his head office and get a copy of his latest payslip.

I am not sure how to get my head around accepting that the CSA have calculated his earnings correctly if he is on in excess of £60K - How can I prove that they have got it wrong ?

[VioletV]

Hiya, It does depend on the type of store though. I wouldn't say a store manager who ran a small sainbuggers would be on 60k. Try their websites and see I'm pretty sure tesco offer store managers about 30k-40k

[niceguy2]

£60k does seem too much for a branch manager at Sainsburys.

If he's working for Sainsburys, I think it will be v. hard for him to disguise how much he earns. I mean it's not like Sainsburys HR will collude in hiding his true salary. A couple of payslips to the CSA and maybe a copy of his P60 would easily prove to them how much he earns.

Can the CSA provide a breakdown of how they've arrived at their figure? Are they perhaps making an allowance for a new family he's supporting for example? Or is he claiming he sees your DS regularly and/or is getting a variation for travel?

[boohoohoo]

I know for tesco so will presume the same for other stores salaries depends on the size of the store. Metros/locals store managers earn around £30-40k extras/larger stores at least £60k. Hth.

[runningonmt]

niceguy2 The CSA unfortunately dont contact Sainsburys HR and the CSA will not work from a P60 only from payslips he provides (I have asked them to use a P60 as I thought it would give a more acurate figure than a couple of payslips.) -

I know he is paid 4 weekly and not monthly (13 pay periods per year) and just wish I could see the payslips they are using to assure myself that they are calculating his assessment in line with their own rules.

If you were being assessed for a means tested benefit but the agency wouldnt supply evidence on how they actually reached their figures, and you suspected they were incorrect - wouldnt you want to be able to check they hadnt made an 'error'.

The only figure the CSA put on the forms is : Nett Salary then they go on to explain the deductions they make for his partners son which is fine - I just dont believe that the nett figure they start with is accurate.

I guess it will just end up as one of life's mysteries ........

Thanks for your responses though x

[dumpedandforty]

Have no idea how it works but I was a working woman , my 'net' pay was after tons of deductions like company saving schemes, charity schemes, nursery vouchers etc etc. So he could be paying £1000 into a work based share save scheme, and then his 'net' pay would look vastly reduced.

Surely the CSA would be wise to this sort of thing though?

If it doesn't ring true, then you are totally in your rights to query it surely, giving them the information about what he was earning in a junior role years ago. Don't let it become 'one of life's mysteries'.

[niceguy2]

Ok, my point is that being full time employed with Sainsbury's means he can't easily doctor his payslip.

So his net pay is really his net pay. Ok, he can make contributions into share save schemes etc but these will probably show on his payslip. Usually there's also a limit to how much you can deduct. So say your real pay was £3k after tax, realistically you would struggle to deduct £1500 of that through various company schemes.

[Smum99]

Hi, Agree with niceguy, did you ask for a CSA review? Reason I ask is that they stipulate the payslips he has to send in so he won't have had the opportunity to change information - i.e start contributing into share schemes. It could be that he has childcare vouchers and these will impact net salary and does he have a company car? Also a lot of companies do now vary pay so that the basic is lower and it is supplemented by bonus's for performance. I know my DH has in real terms had a 20% paycut due to this type of payment structure change.

Only thing to suggest is that you ask for an annual review - just put in a call each year. It is proposed that CSA will get info from HMRC so effectively P60's and that may come into affect in a few years.

[runningonmt]

Quick update.

Just phoned the CSA to ask for their address as I think it would be better to send a recorded delivery letter to them to ensure they understand my request (they have before denied requests from me and they dont backdate so just incase they forget to action my request over the phone, if it is recorded delivery they cant deny they got it).

Problem #1 - they can only give me a PO box number - not sure if i can send recorded delivery to po box numbers - Can anyone clarify.

Problem #2 - they are supposed to reasses automaatically every two years but havent done so since oct 2007 dispite lenthy correspondance with them in Sept 2009 - they chased his arrears and eventually got them but obviously did not reassess his current income at the same time ?!?

Problem#3 - There should have been an automatic change of circumstance done last year when his oldest child (not mine) ceased to be a child anymore - but they didnt ?!? There is an allowance on his assessment in Oct 2007 for this child/now adult - he is on good terms with this particular ex (there are many of us) so i suspect he left it alone and either she gave him the money back or she passed it on to her child/now adult as a volentary contribution. I estimate my DS's payments would have increased by 50% using the one child=15%, two child=20% with 10% going to each child.

Problem #4 - He is suppposed to inform them of any change of circumstance but obviously wont if it is not going to be in his favour (he was very quick to tell them when he moved his GF in a few weeks after meeting her as she brought a child with her and so my DS's child support dropped). Not sure how they expect me to know about any of his change of circumstances when I dont have any contact with him or his family (neither does my DS hardly).

Problem#5 - As a branch manager he gets substancial performance related bonuses (upto 20% has been suggested by A.N.Other but this could be inflated). Bonuses are counted as income but if they are only paid out once a year they are easily missed by CSA using the 'two or three latest payslips' request.

I know there will be loads of people out there screaming "money-grabbing-hag" which is fine as they dont know my personal circumstances but who is screaming "money-grabbing-git" to him when he isnt playing by the rules and the CSA dont take a proactive role ensuring that my son is financially supported by both parents in a fair manner.

BTW incase anyone wants to know - no he doesnt make any kind of volentary payments towards school fees, trips, uniform etc ... I have asked and he has blatently refused. School fees are because of his disability because state schools cant cope with him but his condition is not effecting his academic ability so he doesnt qualify for any additional support - catch 22 situation that may of us mums on SN threads are dealing with.

As a final point his current 'contribution' is equal to 4 hours a week child minder type suport to give me a break and my DS some form of positive therapy to make his life a little bit less shit than it currently is - that leaves nothing left over for food, clothes, heating, lighting, roof over head - ALL that is supplied by me earning £11.5k a year. So if you do think I am a money grabbing cow who sits on her backside all day leaching of the government with benefits I dont deserve - go ahead. If you dont think that then sorry for suggesting you might!!!

Off now to write my begging letter to CSA .......... Happy days x

[toothgenie]

Can I suggest that you contact your MP as well, my queries were answered much quicker when they contacted the CSA for me. Just a thought. FWIW I don't think you're money grabbing.

[runningonmt]

Toothgenie - what a lovely idea, thank you. I think I will hold that one in reserve for incase the CSA dont stick to their reassessment timeline - 5 days to pass to non-finance dept, 14 more days to pass to a caseworker etc...... I know they are terribly busy, but so I am and I dont see why I should waste my time trying to make sure they are doing THEIR job.

I think I am also going to request an attachment to earnings order as well as ExH has beautifully demonstrated that despite being told how much he should be paying by the CSA he has been paying less and they can only pay me what he has been paying them. Hmmmmm !!