Child maintenance question

[Amethyst22]

My ex partner whom we share 1 child lives with his current partner and their 2 bio children plus 2 others from a previous relationship of his current partners. I have been using the child maintenance service to claim for our child and have recently had issues with my ex not paying the correct amount that was calculated. I reported this back to child maintenance and had the arrangement changed from direct pay to collect and pay to solve this issue. His current partner whom he is still in a relationship with and lives with has also set up a child maintenance case for their 2 bio children. I just want to clarify that this is fraud as they are already being provided for financially and they all live as one family unit. I believe they have done this to try and get out of paying what my child is legally entitled to and I am struggling to understand why you would want your own child to go without what they are legally entitled to.

Who has she requested maintenance from?

Her partner who she lives with (my ex)

She's asked CMS to request money from her partner with whom she lives? Or she has notified them that he lives with four children?

They were already down as living with him and her on my claim that already affected the amount my child receives. She has additionally opened her own child maintenance case to claim maintenance for them.

She can't claim CSA for his biological children when they are all living together and in a relationship. That's wild surely?!

Exactly my thoughts. She has only done it after my claim was changed to collect and pay which leads me to believe that she’s done it in order to try and get away with my child getting less. So essentially she’s committed fraud in order to deprive a child which is even wilder

Yep it's fraud clearly

I wouldn't even call it fraud...just...stupid?!

I'm on a child maintenance group and actually yes this is allowed

Not only is it allowed, I've done it.

Eldest DS, when I separated from his father, lived in the same home for nearly 2 years. I opened a child maintenance case. And claimed benefits.

We were two single people stuck in a house together for a very long time

Don't assume you know everything that goes on behind closed doors.

I don’t assume to know, I do know. They are in a relationship and live as a family not as 2 single people. I understand in some circumstances that is the case that 2 separated parents can live in the same house but it isn’t in this case and shouldn’t be allowed. As I already stated those children are already accounted for as they are down as living with him which already reduces my claim so how can they have it both ways.

Yes, he can't have her kids down as deductions as children he cares for, really, if they're saying they aren't a couple.

But there's not much you can do. You can't prove they're lying.

Paddy McGuiness and his wife quite famously live separately in the same house.

I probably would if I split from DH, it's actually really convenient and cost effective. I certainly wouldn't be the first to volunteer to DH's ex if our living arrangements were to change to this.