Reporting Ex to HMRC, DWP and Child Maintenance?

[ChildMaintain]

2 DC. Just got Child Maintenance’s annual assessment - they are saying ex only needs to pay £7 per week as he’s in receipt of benefits.

I have proof that they are self-employed (Personal Trainer) and have been for some time. The proof includes his own website which advertises weekly classes, lists his phone number / email address and even has a photo of him! Approximately half of the classes he does are online and people book through an online system, also paying him online… so it’s not a case of him going completely cash in hand to avoid declaring it or it going into a bank account.

I don’t know how he’s getting away with it, unless he is just blatantly lying to HMRC and Child Maintenance or the money is going into someone else’s account.

WIBU to report him to everyone and everything? I can easily forward his website and other advertisements to them. Has anyone at all had any success in getting someone self-employed to pay a reasonable amount or do we always get screwed over? Every thread I read seems to suggest if they are self-employed you have no chance!

Report to whoever you need to to get the maintenance paid

That’s what I figured??

CMS, HMRC and DWP. CMS put his payment up but he just never pays so... I still have nothing. It's very hard to make crap fathers pay when they are self employed and they don't want to support their children.

I've just had a quick look on the CMS calculator. If he was earning £100 a week he'd only have to pay the £7, it starts going up if he earns £125 a week (approx, I didn't try any amounts in between) so unless he's earning less than that (which is highly doubtful) then he's definitely committing fraud. Report him to everyone you can.

Also had to deal with other parent not paying CMS and fraudulently claiming benefits. When you report for benefit fraud, I don’t believe you have any way of being updated about the case. We only found out it must have caught up with them because they suddenly came off benefits and got a job instead. When it comes to CMS though you’ll get nowhere, unless you have hard evidence of payslips etc they do jack about it.

Thanks that’s super helpful, he’s clearly earning more than £100.

The CMS have said they can take the money from his benefits or his bank account if he doesn’t pay.

Can’t you just keep reporting him and get it taken off him as a debt? Even if he doesn’t pay, at least the debt will follow him.

Yes I am, he has arrears of around £7000 so far. I hope you have better luck. Definitely report though.

Can they take it from his bank or get an order against him? Have you done tribunal?

I have screen shots etc showing his website and multiple social media posts on Instagram where he is advertising his business and showing busy classes he’s training. Can that not be submitted to CMS or put before a judge?

That means nothing…. Of course he will appear on social media to be busy…
if you feel he is lying, then shop him

The short answer unfortunately is no.

Feel free to report him to HMRC if you feel he is hiding income and provide any proof, and they should look into it, but the wheels turn very slowly and it’s not something that will be dealt with in even the next few months really.

They need to do a thorough investigation, that takes man power, time, resource, if they catch up with him then that info can be shared with CMS but no you can’t just provide screenshots to a judge or CMS. It needs to be reported through the proper fraud channels and could well take years to resolve- still worth doing, but results if any come will be a long time away.

What happens if he does ever go legit and starts putting it through, which will show up with HMRC, does the CMS then recover the debt?

Anyone??

He may be earning more than £100 and still only be assessed at the flat rate. Its not his income but the fact he gets benefits that sets it to £7. The benefit entitlement overrides his income for assessment purposes.

This

Eh? So someone can be earning hundreds but because they get benefits only pay £7? Someone did the calculator earlier and it said a higher amount?

It isn't actually crazy- he could be self employed and claiming UC but will be required to submit monthly earnings and expenses. If the earnings aren't much above the minimum income floor his liability as well as his UC will be calculated on that.

Correct. Unpalatable but it is the way it is done.

I’ve just been on the calculator and put it UC and earnings of £250 a week and it’s said maintenance should be £148 a month, not £7 flat rate.

That’s because you are using earnings and not stating benefits. It is either earnings of under £125 a week OR they receive benefits. So the calculator won’t work it out for you correctly as you haven’t been able to input that he also claims benefits.

I did, it asked if he receives benefits (I ticked universal credit), then it asked if he has any income (I ticked yes and inputted £250 a week), and it came out with £148 so now I’m mega confused??

If the earnings can be confirmed then you definitely need to challenge the CMS calculation.

Well, maybe that’s because he couldn’t claim UC if he earned £250 a week so the calculator just works that out?

But I claim maintenance from DSS mum and it clearly states that because she ‘either earns less than £125 a week or claims benefits’ she pays £7 a week and then later states it’s due to claiming benefits.

Sure report what you like it doesn't mean you will get the result you want it doesn't work that way