Genuine question because I can't seem to get straight answers from the CSA phone help line and don't know whether I should apply for an assessment now or bide my time.
My DCs' dad stopped paying any child maintenance years ago and since then has said he has no job, even though I'm sure he has worked (perhaps consulting), and even though with his declared "no income" he has still managed to support himself, his other half and their DC in exactly the same lifestyle as when he did have a job. I took legal advice a while ago and the lawyer said unless he is honest about his earnings, or is in a PAYE position, you won't get anything out of the CSA. So I didn't bother.
Recently I've been given good reason to believe he's got a new job and so I'm thinking it might be worth going to the CSA. But from what I read on here, they are pretty useless when the NP lies about income/employment.
If the NP lies about having a job, I think the CSA go on HMRC records. Does that mean that if someone's been out of work for a while but now has a job, it would be better to wait to the end of the tax year to make a CSA claim, so that it would be assessed on all of the earnings declared through PAYE in this tax year rather than a previous tax year when they declared no income?