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!

They knew where he was as he was still in the house we lived in together ( and still is)

I think they give up after a while They " officially" wiped the debt when youngestDD was 22

They wipe the debt because then it looks better when they have to release their “this is what’s owed that we haven’t collected” amounts.

anyone who gets a debt wiping letter Please be aware you do NOT have to agree to throw debt being wiped!!

The letter they send is appalling and implies that it’s done deal, their choice entirely and you are just being informed, but you can insist it stays on the books! It’s owed to you.

The arrears balance from non-payment

If he is on flat rate of £7 due to benefits then they will get it taken at source. You will get the money but it will take a few weeks for it to be sorted. The advantage is once he does come of benefits (and he will at some point) they will be notified quickly and will reasses it straight away, including any arrears owed.

Has he got any ill relatives new partner

he could easily be a carer for some one
get 80 odd quid a week and whiles he’s supposed to do 35 hours of caring I doubt if he would be

but he could get rent paid
and work as SE and earn up to 196 a week
after Tax / Ni
so 4 sessions at 40 a week would be 160
and you would probably get the 7 a week

I have no idea. I presume it was because he reached retirement age and therefore stopped working - despite the fact that he is on several massive pensions (I didn't go after his pension when we divorced and I should be a cautionary tale to all other women out there. I just wanted to get the divorce and he had already held it up, so I decided not to give him more excuses to keep things going so gave up my right to half his pension). So now he's very well off and I'm still struggling, but at least all the kids have grown up and see him for the useless creature he is.
ETA: I wasn't told they were stopping my claim, so I don't really have any idea why it happened - the money just stopped.

That’s what I said

They’ll have hit a point where they could no longer chase payment - either his retirement, the age of the children or both.

When they choose to wipe the debt they should have informed you.

the letter should make clear people can insist on the debt staying on file, but appallingly it doesn’t. When I worked there (briefly) we had a case where a man had nearly 50k debt on file. He died and his sister was appalled to discover that his plan to leave her his estate (she claimed to give to his children avoiding his ex, but the children were adults) didn’t negate the fact his debt had to be paid. So his ex got what she was owed years later and that was only because her MP had helped her insist the debt stayed on file.

its appalling it’s not made more clear to people that it can stay on file.

I asked them to open an investigation this morning which they’ve assured me they will action and look into things.

Let’s be fair, this is not limited to men trying to avoid CM, most self-employed people will try to pay themselves in the most tax efficient way - and this is what accountants will also advise.

It shouldn’t be at the expense of your children. Anybody who thinks £7 a week is an acceptable amount to contribute (and isn’t genuinely on extremely hard times) should be utterly ashamed.

Oh 100% agree, don’t get me wrong!

All I was saying was that being self employed and optimising how you pay yourself doesn’t automatically mean CM dodger.

But I’m with you, £7 a week is a joke.

It’s pathetic when gets over £800 a month in benifits or £1400 if you include full rent paid

Just got to wait and see what their investigation comes back with I guess

It’s probably worth doing the same with DWP as well.

sometimes CMS are hamstrung by stupid rules, but if both investigate they can be more successful.

@ChildMaintain the problem with CMS is that they don't calculate on current income but on the HMRC figures for the previous tax year. If you're self employed that creates a big lag as the return is always a year behind. Your figure now will be based on the return he did in Jan 25 for the tax year 23-4. He may well have has much less income then.
You won't catch up on any higher income he declares for this year (tax year 25-6) until the CMS evaluation in 2028!
The only agency who might take notice now is benefits as you have to declare current income.
Hope that helps.

unpaid arrears.

My ex ended up owing me £90,000. I never saw a penny.
This country is appalling at collecting maintenance.
The government really needs to take action on this.