CSA backpayments

[Footballaddict]

Not sure exactly where to post about this but I have a question about backpayments via CSA. They've told me 2 different things over the past couple of months (and apparently because of an admin error not actually done anything since I last spoke to them end of November.....but that's a separate issue!).

My ex and I are no contact. He had been assessed as not having to pay anything (as was living off a redundancy payment). However my elder son spotted him in a suit a few months back and further queries via friends in his village showed that he appeared to be working.

I contacted CSA (have already had a case open with them) in October to say I thought he might be working. Turns out he stopped claiming JSA in May and it looks like he got a new job at the same time.

I was originally told that they would be able to get backpayments from when he started work. Today I've been told that I will only be able to get backpayments from when I contacted them in October.

Given that we are no contact, this just seems a bit weird to me.....if it hadn't been for my son spotting him accidentally, we'd still have had no idea he was working and still be getting nothing. Should backpayments only go back to when I contacted them again, or when he started this job?

Grateful if anyone can help clarify this for me!

I was told from the CSA it's from when you first claim and contact them. If they prove he has been working since May and the case has been open they should backdate it.

Things may of changed since my time (5years ago!) but a change of circumstances was normally back dated to the day the agency was notified of the change. So in this case it would be backdated to the day you called in.
It may be worth asking if they received notification from job centre when he came off JSA, we used to get notification when a PWC came off benefits as we would have to change who got the payments but I can't remember if it worked the other way. (I worked in Debt Enforcement, not on assessments)

Thank you both.....as far as I can tell, he simply didn't turn up for an appointment re JSA and he was marked "failed to attend" rather than telling them he'd found work. I'll give them another ring to check, I think. It does seem difficult if I have to kind of guess when ex might be working or not but maybe they can ask for p60s at the end of the year or something to crossreference with? (ok, I might be being overoptimistic there!).

failure to notify the csa of a change in circumstances is illegal. remind the csa that and ask them either to persue the bad dated claim or a criminal case. chase them down for time frames on next making contact with ex to chase payment.....

you may get somewhere but you will need to fight it every step of the way

CSA have been pretty prompt with things this week. They've backdated payments due to when ex started work (or when he failed to attend JSA appointment). They've also done a schedule of payments which means that over the next few months, he has to pay the usual amount, plus a proportion of the arrears.

I didn't know that failing to tell them he'd started work was illegal, no one has pointed that out to me. They just confirmed that arrears will be backdated to when he started, not when I contacted them thinking he might be working.

Thanks x

np. funny how often they just expect the resident parent to just accept crap. glad they are doing something.

Now if they can just sort out the 3 years when my ex was assessed on £12000 worth of income but earning 50k-60k+ I would be a happy woman