Child support leaving us struggling

[Throwawayaccount38290]

It's the middle of the night and I'm overthinking myself into a pit while idiothead sleeps in the next room.

Me and my man have been together 3 years. He works full time in management and I work part time. We can afford to survive, but not quite to live. We don't have enough money for dates and things as debts/etx take a big chunk of his cash, I don't mind. I don't need to be taken out all of the time, even though it would be nice.

What I am worried about is what will happen when we have children. We have been discussing it for a while, but he has brushed it off with "We can't afford it and I already have a kid" but I don't. He's known from the beginning that I want children, and is only pushing back now.

He pays out literally half of his wages to his now married ex girlfriend, who works full time as well as her husband, for his preteen daughter, leaving us with just enough to get by. Is it awful of me to get almost jealous and feel like our child would end up suffering because he sends all his money to his ex for his first child? I know that child support is necessary and I would be more upset if he didn't pay at all, but it's hardly fair that when we have children they'd go without because of his ex?

Feeling like the evil stepmother at this point, but I'm so tired of scrimping. Maybe it's the wait to take a pregnancy test getting to me and rotting my brain aha.

[Teachermaths]

Does he pay above the CMS amount?

Why do you only work PT?

When you have children you have to consider the finances of your partnership /family at the time. If you already had one child and wouldn't be able to afford another, you wouldn't have another.

[PotteringAlong]

If you need more money then the obvious answer is to work full time.

[Pityparty4one]

CMS is adjusted when other children come along.
The fact that the ex is married has no bearing on the financial responsibility your partner has to his child.

It does not sound like he wants anymore children so how come you are taking a pregnancy test?

[Northernsoullover]

Do you already have small children which is why you work part time?

[Thesearmsofmine]

Work full time?

Also you talk about when you have a child but it sounds like he doesn’t particularly want one?

[FamilyOfAliens]

If you want children and were clear with him about that from the start, and he doesn’t, you need to leave him and find someone who does.

[SnowsInWater]

He is financially responsible for his daughter, her stepfather isn't. Presumably you knew the situation when you got together. Maybe he is right and you can't afford children together or you would have to work full time to be able to. Lots of people have to make difficult decisions.

[India999]

Work full time

[stucknoue]

Cms is a percentage of salary so it's not half for that. You also mention debts - that's your problem, work out a way to pay them off then consider kids. His child has to be paid for before to create new humans

[MrsAgassi]

Why does half his salary go to his ex? It is quite a high % to pay purely for child support?

Your desire for a child is understandable but his first responsibility has to be to support the child he already has.

[GiveHerHellFromUs]

Why don't you work full time if you don't have children?

[Scrumptiousbears]

There's quite a few issues here. Overall if you need more money you work more hours as you are currently only working part time. However I think you need to rethink having kids with this guy.

[meditrina]

CMS is the legal amount the Government would come after you for. It's not the cost of a DC, nor the amount that ought to be paid. Just the figure you do not go below.

Yes, you cannot afford a DC at the moment. What needs to change?

You need to clear your debt.
You need to increase your income, by increasing hours or finding a better paid job

Do you use any form of budgeting app?

[Lessthanzero]

He is financially responsible for his daughter, her stepfather isn't.

Actually according to csa her stepfather is. His csa payments would go down for any non resident children because he's supporting his stepdaughter.

I feel for you op. My dh ex is rolling in it. We are struggling because of some big life changes. It bites that we have to pay her money we very much need, that she doesn't. But that's life. You need to budget around the payments because the rules aren't going to change anytime soon.

[doublebarrellednurse]

So you want your DP to be a deadbeat so you can have a nicer lifestyle? Nice.

Get a full time job or another part time one or if you can't then claim relevant benefits that are available for those who CANT work to top you up.

Sort your debt so it's more manageable (this is not his child's problem so should not be a factor in how much money is paid to her).

Understand that what your partner is saying is true. Kids are expensive. He knows this from experience. Especially if you're starting from scratch.

[doublebarrellednurse]

It bites that we have to pay her money we very much need, that she doesn't.

It's not for her it's for the child. The one your partner is half responsible for.

I don't need maintenance payments and my ex pays the bare minimum but it means my son gets the extras that he wants and has a savings account which will help him in his later years.

Or look at it this way...I do all the hard work. All the school meetings, battles about homework and dinner and going out and curfews and shitty hormones and fall outs with friends and girls. He sends some money once a month.

[NeverTwerkNaked]

Why do you only work part time?

[NeverTwerkNaked]

Basic child maintenance for one child isn't half a salary, so something else must be going on here? Are the debts actually the main drain?

[Doingitaloneandproud]

Surely you need to get a full time job?

[Hwory]

‘My man’ 🤮🤮🤮🤮

If you want more money go out and work for it.

The hyperbolic shift from half to ‘all his money’ makes me think it’s just CSA standard.

[Thesearmsofmine]

It bites that we have to pay her money we very much need, that she doesn't.

Your partner is not paying her money, he is supporting his children.

[Alittleprivacyplease]

but it's hardly fair that when we have children they'd go without because of his ex?

Eh? You mean because of his existing child surely, the one he's morally and legally obliged to provide for. The only reason any future children would go without is 2 people choosing to have more children they can't afford in the first place.

And I highly doubt he's paying 50% of his salary in child support. Either he's lying or you are.

[Marinetta]

I understand where you're coming from but I feel that your partner is being very sensible about this. You have to think about the child you have before you think about the children you would like to have. It wouldn't be fair for your partner's child to suffer because he decided to have another child that he can't really afford. My partner and I would love to have another child but realistically its something we can't afford so its not going to happen. Its just the way it is.
If you are serious about having a child, you need to get yourselves in a better financial position or you need to move on and find someone else to have a child with.

[AlexaShutUp]

As others have said, why do you only work part time? Surely the solution is to increase your own earnings rather than to expect your DH to cut down on maintenance for his child.

Also, if you desperately want a child and he doesn't, is this relationship actually sustainable? Is it just about finances for him, or is that just an excuse because he doesn't want another child anyway?

[anothernamejeeves]

I am sick to death of women choosing a partner with children then moaning about them doing right by their kids. Grow up and work more if you want your own