CMS claim

[Onlymeeeeee]

So my CMS claim is back.

He has to pay me just 11% of his net income for his children.

This works out as 52p per hour (26p per child) and meanwhile I am paying out about 94% of my net income on the children.

Good job I love them so much really. It'd be much cheaper to send them to him. I wouldn't even want that to happen if i died actually but I would love to know more about how the CMS work out the contribution levels.
I have read the leaflet they sent and i get the 1/7 for nights spent with Dad but anyone post a link to how they decided on the basic rates?

Should all be explained in full on the letter they will have sent you. The calculations are all there.

11% must mean he is a decent earner. How much is this in £ per week. How much does it cost in comparison to feed and clothe your children for the days they are with you? What is the difference?

It's just over £60 week, for 2 children, but in contrast both needed new school uniform last week £28, their school residential trips are £25 month each over 5 months, shoes are £14 pair from the supermarket,
It just seems such a small amount.
In an ideal world he would contribute to the big costs like the school trip outside of the "maintenance"
I got the "welcome to CMS" booklet through the post after the "we've worked out your maintenance costs" but I still wonder how the civil service /policy writers decided how much a non resident parent should contribute.
I'm glad he works as i can see £7 a week wouldn't go far at all.

Or you could be like one of the many of us who don't get a penny from nrp. Personally I would be delighted with extra 60 a month to help with children.

I decided to look at it in this way - he's paying you £60 a week if that is meant to be 50% and you pay the other 50% then that is £120 plus child benefit for two £34 ish. Does £154 a week pay for the basic needs of your children? Yes you have just bought uniform etc but that is not every week.
If he sees them does he pay for things/buy them things when he's with them?
I had to look at it that way and realise that although I thought the amount was low and he had loads left over and I didn't he was actually covering half the kids basic needs. The fact he could afford fancy cars and I couldn't didn't matter. Sometimes you just have to let these things go. Also as a PP said many pay nothing

It is big adjustment going from a two income family to one (part time in my case).
And ex has gone into a house share so had more surplus money than I do. Sometimes it is a bitter pill to swallow as he is living life to the full whilst I'm laying the bills and ensuring the kids have the extra activities etc

I am sure you will soon get use to it and your children will know who went that extra mile.

I’m considering using cms and The online calculator says I’m entitled to £1100-£1300 a month depending on me having the children 7 nights (currently) or 5/6 nights (which I hope he will want). He’s refusing to contribute so I hoped cms would help-is it possible that they say be actually pays me a lot less? OP what did calculator say he should pay?

MSnotMRS that would mean he's on over 100k a year, is that correct? Does he work for himself or a company? If he won't give any details to CMS then they will use the details the Tax Office hold for him and work it from there. If he's self employed then it is easier to ' fudge ' the records if he doesn't want to pay you.

Hi teenage, yes he is earning over 100k and he’s employed so hopefully not able to fiddle the figures, plus we have 3 little ones. Feel so financially crippled would hate to go via cms and get even less!!

If he's employed then its hard to fiddle, if he will not give them details then they will go straight to the Tax office and get last years details to work from. Also if he refuses to pay they can put an attachment of earnings on him and charge him an extra 20% for doing it! That would cost you 4% but better to lose 4% than get nothing at all.
If he's refusing to pay then get your claim into the CMS. I did years ago, best thing I ever did