To think CSA should leave our tax credits alone.

[santascupcakes]

Dh lost his job and he was previously paying £60 via CSA a week to ex.

Told CSA and they asked about our tax credits. I work and we get £198 which includes tax credits for 4 children, working tax and disability element for 2 children.

They said thats OK you can now pay us £27 a week!!

How is that right. She must get her own tax credits!!

Santa

If he has lost his job then you as the female have to claim for it now.

YOu claim couples income support that is around 95.00 or more a week, more than enough to cover the £27.00 but it would not be £27.00.

Your circs have changed so you should claim from the state until he finds employment.

I think its grossly unfair but then the CSA is such a bollocks organisation I'm not suprised.

tax credits dont take into account any maintenance paid either which shows just how one sided the system is

and with kid first come first served should not be a mantra anyone spouts

Contributory JSA is paid regardless of partner's income if you've made enough NI contributions isn't it?

Claim. Your situation is exactly what JSA is for.

I think it's hard to be fair in these situations. Either way someone loses out don't they. And no matter how troublesome the ex is or isn't none of the DC deserve to go without.

Hope your DH finds a new job asap santascupcakes.

I thought they didn't use TC's in CSA calculations?

Oh well, even more reason not to declare the maintenance I've been awarded.
And, yes, I am cheating the system, but I've only ever had one maintenance payment in 9 years, and since ex was ordered to pay, well over a year ago.
I'm afraid I can't afford to lose the amount on paper, I'm getting, when in fact, I'm getting nothing!

I found out yesterday he has another kid too. Cunt. (and I save that word for special occasions)

life no she did not, she clearly states that they did not know he had another child until they had their own.

I think it's very fair. Fair enough your kids shouldn't have to suffer, but nor sould hers. She has lost money, you have lost money, the burden has split as it rightly should be.

If you didn't want to have to pay for other peoples children, perhaps you shouldn't have married a man with children from a previous relationship.

Also if you are working he cannot claim JSA. If you are not working you are breaking the law by fraudently claiming WTC.

and finally...

And I second narkypuffin. Claim JSA in the meantime. You paid into the system and therefore are only claiming what you're entitled too. Think of it as a loan. When your DH gets a new job he'll have to pay it back.

If you didn't want to have to pay for other peoples children, perhaps you shouldn't have married a man with children from a previous relationship.

Yeah Dooin coz it's really that black and white isn't it anyway OP already said they weren't aware this child was the DH's until after 3 of their kids were born.

Fair enough, but he still has a child and he still has financial responsibilty to that child regardless of whether he is working.

That is black and white. If you don't want to pay for children, use contraceptives.

Saffy

SHE DID NOT KNOW HE HAD CHILDREN, AND NEITHER DID HE, READ THE BLOODY THREAD YOU SANCTIMONIOUS WITCH.

I totally agree with you about that part, no matter what, people should pay for their own DC, the DC never asked to be born. But family set ups are rarely simple nowadays, ime.

But they know about the child NOW. Its not the child's fault why should it do without?

Don't be suck a fuckwit Dooin. This isn't a feckless father. It's a father who pays maintenance, who's having to go to court to get access, who's lost his job and is trying to get another one ASAP.

what???? erm ok

(I don't think I am sanctimonious or a witch)

Er, she agrees with you FabbyChic. She was quoting someone else.

Whose wife is now whining about her children having to do without without any consideration for the other child, who is also down on money.

If the CSA got their fingers out of their arses and made all NRP pay like this, then perhaps people would be more careful about using condoms?

I didn't know we had Jeremy Kyle on here.

Dooin she is not down on money trust me.

But that still is not the point.

Tax credits are means tested and she will be getting hers depending on her own means for her child.

I feel by taking payments against our means tested credits technically leaves us under the poverty line.

I obviously cant go into too much detail because of court proceedings but what I will say is that I have tried to keep out of this situation and leave DH to deal with it. Because I refuse to react, she has threatened the lives of my own children and fammily and is now subsequently cautioned and I have an injunction. I am certainly not the put out new partner that is jelous of a child. That is not me and I do not resent this child anything but I HAVE to put my own children first.

You can claim jsa if one of you is working but only for a certain amount of weeks and as long as you have made enough ni contributions previously. My dp claimed it when he lost his job in 2009. I was working and earning approx 30k and this was declared on the app form. He got around 60 p/w.

He also has to state he would immediately available for work should it be offered and free to attend interviews and job centre once a week with a list of jobs he'd applied for. Not sure if that part would fit with your childcare arrangements now that you've taken a job santas but worth considering.

Wrt to csa - I think it does seem fair tbh. They won't take in to account when you found out about the child or the behaviour of his xp I'm afraid.

wuggle, tax credits do not count maintenance payments in their calculations.

£27 a week contribution towards raising a hild seems like a very little amount to me - to be honest even £60 a week is not a hell of a lot.

It's not a popular view but I don't agree with tax credits - I just can't imagine have 4 (+1) children if I couldn't afford to provide for them without the need to claim benefits from the government.
Now everyone's circumstances can change and if someone loses their job then of course there should be assistance for a set timescale to allow people a window of opportunity to find alternative employment.

My issue with tax credits is that they are not a short term fix and people rely on them to fund their lifestyles.

What the ex has or has not done is irrevelent as it is not the fault of the child.

The CSA would not have left you below the poverty line. They are not allowed to do that. They have looked at all of your income and decided you can afford to pay £27 per week. If you think this is leaving you below the poverty line go to CAB.

The XP's income is also irrelevent. Your DH has a responsibilty to pay for this child. As you are now living together as a couple and have a joint income you jointly share that financial responsibility.

Tax credits do wind me up though as they won't adjust them immediately following a change in circumstance it will be the following tax year when you might not need them so much! We really struggled when dp lost his job and got no increase to tax credits. He's now got a job but we are getting higher tax credits because it is based on 2009 income. Annoying really.

I do feel for you op - loss of income is horrid and scary