CSA and travel expenses

[lifeonthemotorway]

I have overnight contact every other weekend (Friday evening to sunday Evening) with my 2 children. They stay with me every Friday and Saturday night when it is my weekend.

My children live 130 miles away and every contact weekend I drive 520 miles (130 x 4). My ex drives but it has always been that I do the driving Friday and Sunday.

I am not bothered about the driving, gives me a couple of hours quiet time with my kids where we can discuss their week and have a good chat without other distractions.

Someone told me yesterday that I can get a reduction in CSA for travelling expenses. Is this true? If so how is it calculated?

You would apply for a variation. Contact costs would be a special expense. It would have to be over £15 per week for fuel/transport costs. It would serve to reduce your income that goes into the calculation.

Even if your fuel costs are £30 a week that will have little effect on the assessment. 20% of that is only £6, and that might not be enough to affect the result. changes have to make at least £10 a week difference before they will alter the assessment. This discourages frivilous applications.

Thank you very much, will get my calculator out!

Is there a rate per mile that they discount it at? I have checked on the variations screen on their website and cannot see it.

I have a bit of a big car and it seems unfair to remove a lot of petrol cost due to my personal choice of car?

Basically without holidays, birthdays and other ad hoc trips, I do 13,500 miles a year for contact, so depending on how much they allow per mile would decide if it is worth bothering.

I'd imagine it would be based on your MPG rather than some notional cost to include depreciation, but I simply can't confirm wither way.