To think he should have to pay CMS actually

[cadburyegg]

Need to rant tbh. My exh hasn't paid regular maintenance for several months now due to becoming self employed and the CMS said he doesn't earn enough to pay anything, he also has the children EOW.

He has 100k in his bank account from his divorce settlement. I applied for a variation on this basis I've just had a letter from the CMS to say that they won't take this into account either because maintenance is based on income not savings.

I'm sure his income has increased based on the fact he has recently bought a new car and seems to live a comfortable lifestyle but I can't prove it. The CMS will only review his income on a yearly basis, so in December.

I can't believe that someone can have so much money to his name but legally doesn't have to pay even £50 a month FFS!!!

Title should say child maintenance not CMS

There should be a base level of child maintenance non-resident parents have to pay regardless of income, and then it can increase in a means tested way from there. No excuses and no exceptions.

Resident parents don’t get decide they can’t afford to feed their children this month, why should non-resident parents.

Sadly too many NRPs don't prioritise looking after their children and it is all too easy for the self employed to get away with this (my ex simply stopped working - or at least simply stopped working for PAYE). Sorry you're going through this @cadburyegg

Does your ex have the children 50% of the time? Just wondered as you mentioned they're with him EOW. This affects things too.

No he has the children EOW. So 6 nights every month.

Thanks for the comments. I think I just need to make peace with the fact I'm not going to get anything and anything I do get is a bonus.

Yanbu. My ex hasn't had to pay a penny for over 10 years. Apparently he runs his car and motorbike on shirt buttons.