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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if Anyone with any kind of business knowledge has any theories?

34 replies

VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 10:53

ExH has been on a reasonably high salary for 4 years now. Ive just been advised by CMS he's now taken a drop of salary of approx 2/3!!! My instinct was hes gone a committed fraud again and lost his job but he's still working for the same company just in a different role. Anyone any theories?

OP posts:
TheNameGames · 02/12/2019 11:05

Not sure what your question is? if someone has lost their job they haven’t ‘taken’ a drop in salary... unless you think he committed fraud again on purpose to pay less or is being deceitful and is still in the same role?

ContinuityError · 02/12/2019 11:16

Has he done a salary sacrifice for share options?

midnightmisssuki · 02/12/2019 11:19

No but it could be anything?! Decided for a less stressful position, decided to retrain in different department, etc etc. If it was frauds why would they keep him?

Qcng · 02/12/2019 11:20

If he committed fraud they'd surely just let him go.

What did he say when you asked him about it?

Original poster
VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 11:20

Im wondering why someone on a high wage would suddenly agree to a wage that is two thirds lower. Same company "different role". Affects child maintenance calculation considerably

It looks to me something dodgy is going on but if it is the question is what is it and how do i prove it.

Then again i could just be the bitter cynical exW and its quite normal for a person to suddenly take a substantial drop in salary. Im wondering if my radar is off here (having little big business experience)

OP posts:
Qcng · 02/12/2019 11:22

Unless you mean he's committed fraud to the Child Maintenance office. Then, well, if he has found a way to do that, he may well have.

Qcng · 02/12/2019 11:23

No, this is really dodgy.
No one takes a much lower wage.

He's probably convinced his employer to send a salary to one bank account and another much lower salary to a second bank account or something.

Qcng · 02/12/2019 11:23

^ In the situation where he's taken in an additional role.

AmIAWeed · 02/12/2019 11:24

If it we're fraud I doubt very much he still has a job with them.
I'd suggest it's reduced hours
Doubt it's salary sacrifice unless he's putting a huge amount into a pension

Original poster
VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 11:27

@ContinuityError
Salary sacrifice for share options.... this sounds very possible as i believe his company was bought out by a bigger player somewhen about 18 months ago. Would you expect income to come in from share dividends? I wonder if you could delay income for 4 years that way, although that would be an almighty long term commitment. I might have to pull companies house documents again.

Yeah i cant see the company would have kept him on if they fpund out about the past fraud or he'd done something new

No contact for 4 years. Abuse to kids on contact. He's a peach. I check his linkedin and company website on occasion

OP posts:
SunniDay · 02/12/2019 11:27

Gone part time?
Failing/not meeting targets so demotion or leave?
Stress/mental illness/physical illness - chose to move to a less demanding role?
Prefers to sacrifice cash for better quality of life?

Mummyshark2018 · 02/12/2019 11:28

Depending on his role, could he have reduced his 'core' hours and now working as a contractor through a limited company?

mindutopia · 02/12/2019 11:28

Has he taken on a new role as a ‘consultant’? I know quite a few people who work for one employer but in a consulting role, making them self employed. It would be a lot easier to hide income that way, if that’s his intention.

jellycatspyjamas · 02/12/2019 11:28

No, this is really dodgy.
No one takes a much lower wage.

I did.

There are loads of reasons, his senior toke may have been at risk of redundancy and he’s taken redeployment to a lower grade, he may have been demoted, he might have needed to downgrade for health reasons.

I can’t imagine any reputable employer being happy to pay two salaries to one employee or to fudge things to allow them to defraud the state (given CMS is a government body). Any number of things might have happened - you could always ask him?

MarshaBradyo · 02/12/2019 11:28

Has he changed employment status to self employed?

Gibbonsgibbonsgibbons · 02/12/2019 11:29

Doing & declaring a part time role while not declaring the one he works the other days?

Original poster
VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 11:29

@Qcng
CmS They are getting info from some kind of source i dont know if this is inland revenue or bank account details.

OP posts:
jellycatspyjamas · 02/12/2019 11:30

Sorry, cross post re contact, I get that you couldn’t easily ask him.

BlaueLagune · 02/12/2019 11:30

No one takes a much lower wage

Lots of people do.

Original poster
VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 11:32

@jellycatspyjamas
Hes got kids (not mine) going through private school and likes the nice things in life. To be fair i dont know if they are still there. But hes unlikely to go simple life on anyone

OP posts:
AnchorDownDeepBreath · 02/12/2019 11:33

I took a much lower wage when I last moved jobs. I nearly halved my salary. The job was much closer to home and had less responsibility and I needed the break - I missed the extra money but I prioritised my mental health and cut back on some things.

That said, nobody here will be able to tell you if he's done that, or swapped salary for shares, or found a dodgy way to get paid or hide money with any accuracy. It's a crap situation for you Thanks

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 02/12/2019 11:34

Unfortunately I have known a lot of men in RL who have pulled variations on this to reduce or generally avoid CM. Not sure how you can prove it though. 😠

Hingeandbracket · 02/12/2019 11:35

I am earning about 2/3 of what I did until 2008 and I haven’t had a rise since 2009 - it’s not my choice, it’s how things are.

Original poster
VolcanionSteamArtillery · 02/12/2019 11:40

Nope the most likely scenario is we just suck it up. But i wanted to tap the Mumsnet hive mind. Glad i did cos i hadnt thought of checking company's house again.

We had a good 2 years of it. Can't complain we'll get by. But its been a fairly hard hit on our living standards with no notice whatsoever.

OP posts:
BrickTop999 · 02/12/2019 11:44

HMRC receive information for taxable earnings, those are NET of pension. Is he wacking a load of money into his pension? Whilst CMS is net of pension, those contributions have to be reasonable
Id check that out with CMS