AIBU to think that making CSA/maintenance payments cumulative would reduce the amount of defaulting/missed payments for spurious reasons.

[Grrrr]

Consider, payment level would be determined by court/CSA and failure to make full financial disclosure would result in seizure of assets/passport.

Once payment level is determined, missing a payment because "I'm a bit short this month/ I'm getting married and the wedding is expensive/I've got my holiday or new car to pay for", just means that a debt is accumulated with interest being added.

You want to bum around hiding your true income level for the next ? years until all the children are beyond the age for CSA etc, fine, but you'll just end up paying the debt later and it will have increased by the interest charges added.

Obviously the situation would need revising where you could prove loss of employment for a period of time etc. to match the financial circumstances your partner and kids would have been in had you still been together when redundancy happened.

Surely there's something to be said for looking into this (and excluding CSA debt from being wiped out by bankruptcy too).

Can someone please (tactfully) point out the flaws in my argument before I write to my MP and suggest it (tongue in cheek emoticon).

I've always thought the best way would be for all basic CSA contributions to be calculated and taken from the absent parent's income at source like tax and NI. Those that say their exs are willing to pay more could pay any additional monies direct as they do now instead of the CSA trying to persuade us all to negotiate payments direct rather than through them. I for one have no contact details for my children's father and do not for one second think he could be trusted to pay me direct.