Cms have sent me a letter saying that my ex has the ‘nil rate’ for CM for the next twelve months. He is working, self employed, and not declaring income.
I don’t know if I should dispute the letter, which tells me I have 20 days to do so.
I received the same letter this time last year, instead saying that the payments were going down - based on incorrect figures from HMRC. I did contact them last time and say the information was wrong, but the responsibility was put on me to ‘prove’ he was working - I didn’t know his exact workplace at this time which made it near impossible, but if they had checked his bank account it would have showed his monthly pay going in - so I have no idea why this wasn’t possible. There seemed to be minimal effort on CMS part to investigate.
This time around I have a bit more information - the exact workplace he is at, and a couple of photos of him at work, in uniform. I don’t know if I should tell them again that the information is wrong - I know it’s likely to go to court for me to prove, and I don’t think i have the emotional capacity for this. Even receiving the letters sets off what can sometimes be severe anxiety. Obviously I don’t want to take it further or contest the letter if it’s going to be a repeat of last year.
He’s a nasty man, a compulsive liar, and I am a bit worried of what his reaction might be if I make a big deal out of this.
He doesn’t pay anyway but the arrears have built up and enforcement action has started. There was a court date for this, but I didn’t have to be there - presuming if I disputed the letter I would have to appear in court if I took it further?
I don’t know what to do. Should I dispute the letter and deal with the anxiety it’ll cause me for the next few weeks, or just leave it, use the arrears to pay off debt (if they’re ever finally recovered) and try and accept/ forget this whole toxic situation?