Child maintenance

[Givemeabreak88]

My ex pays £7 a week for 4 children through the child maintenance service. I have kept the case open in case he ever gets a job, but that hasn’t happened and he has been out of work for years. He is now on pip and I don’t believe he will ever get a job so I am considering closing my child maintenance case as it just isn’t worth the pennies and tbh seeing it annoys me more than anything. AIBU to give up and close the case?

I get child maintenance through CHild maintenance service.
Initially it was £20 a month! So I closed it. Then opened it back up again it was low for a long time and only went up to £80 a month in November last year, and it's now £187 per month.

I'd say keep it open. If it upsets you to see it, perhaps you could open a different account to let the money go in there?

Agree with pp. Pay it into a separate account and use it to pay for a day out or something in the summer holidays.

I don’t see him ever working. He wouldn’t just to spite me tbh. I just feel he is laughing at us with his
Pennies and that I don’t want him to turn around and one day say he did pay.

I am someone getting the princely sum of £7 per week. I continue as for me it is the principal he should contribute towards his DC even if it is a tiny amount.

I agree with others... Put into a separate account and once a year use it for a day out and know that day out has been funded by your blood sweat and tears bringing up your children.

Why would you close it if you'd get less money?

Because I don’t need £7 a week?? I can live without it. It’s an insult. It’s £1.75 per child a week. I can manage without that.

Ok

I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of having an extra £364 a year.

As for him saying he’s paid, he sounds like he’ll probably say that anyway even if you do close the case.

Have it paid into a different account and forget about it.

I don't know how old the children are, but over 10 years it's £3600. Nearly £1000 per child might come in useful for things like driving lessons etc when they're 17/18.

I know it seems insulting, but maybe it pisses him off to see it go out each week too.

If he says he paid in future you can show the amounts to anyone (the kids?) who needs to know.

I completely get why it's infuriating.

But I'd do as others say, pay it into another account and use it for a day out in the holidays or something. May as well.

If you close the case he’ll say he tried to pay but you wouldn’t let him. At least you have evidence of how little he pays this way!

I know it must be really annoying for you.
Personally I'd keep it open as it's your children's money, I'd pay it into a different bank account and not touch it if it makes you feel less annoyed about it.
If you cancel the claim he may think he's 'won'

If you don’t need it could you give it to the children as pocket money, or donate it to a charity?

Alternatively that's £7 a month for each child's savings. Not millions but still £84 a year extra.

I presumed she'd thought that it was her children's money from her comment and just doesn't want the money at all

Keep it in place incase he wins the lottery.

Keep it.
Don’t allow him to ever say to his kids, “I tried to pay, but she refused it.”
This way, they know exactly what he paid and he can’t make out that he would have paid more, only you stopped the claim.

Is he laughing at you getting pennies? Yeah, probably. But he’d laugh even louder at you getting nothing! So that’s no argument not to get it.

That’s £364 for you and the 4 kids to have an AMAZING annual day out - theme park, not saying no to ice creams, favourite restaurant...

Or it’s £7 a week for him to have 2 beers a week down the pub, on you.

Even if I sent the £7 to charity, I’d do anything rather than let the arsehole have it.

I kept my case open precisely because I didn't want the ex to get away with paying nothing. I took the money out of my current account and kept it separate, it came in handy when DD started studying art and I could buy her what she needed.

Like others have said his £7 could go a long way to giving the kids a good Christmas. If you just left the £365 in the bank it would add up over the years.

Does he see his children at all?

No he has no contact, his choice