NC’d as recently started a thread with the same info and don’t want it to be outing.
This is more me asking the world than CMS as I know they have a formula they use to calculate it.
I have 2DC with EXH. They live with me and DH and go to ExH EOW and some nights during school holidays (maybe 8 in the summer broken up, 3/4 over Xmas period and a longer weekend in half term).
DH and I do everything practical and financial for DC. Everything. EXH wouldn’t know the names of their teachers, even their school would be a stretch, contributes nothing financially, doesn’t know or care what clubs (that we pay for and take them to) they do etc. Obviously that’s just parent stuff that you do as standard, but he does none of it. I’ve never stopped ExH with anything but he’s just not interested, he wants to pick them up and have them 2 nights a fortnight and that’s all. Fine. But how is it possible in this country that he doesn’t have to pay any maintenance? CMS have said that he doesn’t need to. Okay, so he, as their father, doesn’t need to but then as a result, I have to pay for everything? Obviously I do and I don’t resent paying for my kids, they’re everything to me but it’s the principle! How can a father who’s on the birth certificates not be legally responsible to pay anything?
So as to not drip feed, EXH doesn’t work, claims UC and gets daily living PIP. He lied heavily during the PIP interview 6 years ago when we were together, it was shocking. He lives with his family and they happily let him sponge/sub him. He left us in the shit financially when we were still together by quitting his job one day because he didn’t want to do it anymore, couldn’t be bothered, and hasn’t worked since- that was 7 years ago, I had to scramble and find a job, we had no savings. Anyway, the point is, how can he not be legally responsible for paying anything towards his two children? Why do the government/CMS not take money from his benefits before they’re paid to him for CMS?