Chils maintenance query

[Supercherry]

Hi everyone,

Cany anyone help me on the following query please?:

I contacted the CSA today in order to chase my ex for maintenance payments. There are a few weeks outstanding and things are getting increasingly difficult. The CSA telephonist informed me that they do not backdate pay and they only start taking payments from the day that they manage to contact him. Furthermore it will take at least 3 weeks before they even attempt to phone him.

Surely this can't be true?

I'm still a bit flabbergasted at how unfair the system is to the resident parent if what they stated is true.

I think you may be a bit confused - they start the period for which he is liable to pay maintenance from the date you contact them. When you contact them they write and give him some time to respond, which seems reasonable to me - he has to get together details of earnings, fill in forms etc, and of course is entitled to get financial advice. Then they have to make an assessment and come up with a figure etc. Ideally it would be faster but they were pretty good for me.

This is assuming, however, that the maintenance payments you refer to are agreed between yourselves and not via the CSA. If the agreement is already through the CSA then what they said on the phone doesn't seem to make sense!

I thought that the CSA chase starting from the date the case is opened but yes, they do not chase for back payments.

CSA are also notoriously inefficient.

Good luck

Tanga, I'm not confused, I specifically asked if they would chase for payments from today (I called today) and the man I spoke to said not, that they would chase for payments as from when they contacted my ex. I asked him if they could try calling him today but he said that wouldn't be fair as there was a qeueing system in place and it would be about 3 weeks before they even tried to call him.

This is why I think it seems so unfair and why I didn't think it sounded right.

Basically whatever money he owes for our children up until CSA decide to contact him we have no chance of getting. Apparently, legally there is nothing I can do either.

Thanks Niceguy- I will be needing it :)

The government has been asking people to contact them if they have suggestions as to how things can be improved in the country and this is an obvious example.

Whilst it might not help your particular case, it sounds as if something needs to be done on a national level. Would you consider contacting them?

Atswimtwolengths, I will do yes. The resident parent really loses out financially when a partnership fails.

The CSA start payments from the day THEY contact the NON RESIDENT PARENT.

Either their first letter they send to a confident address ... in other words, if the NRP can prove that the letter was sent to the wrong address, then the date will be changed to when they were first contacted properly ... or the first phone call.

Unfortunately, there can be a delay in the time it takes for the CSA to first contact the NRP. That isn't really the NRPs fault though and is down to bad work from the CSA. All you can do is keep on at them.

Could it be they have already sent a letter to him but are now having to phone to chase it up themselves? If so, then he will be accruing arrears from the letter being sent ...

Rubbish really - its a way of trying to get everyone to go through the CSA I guess.

Ex-H and I have had an agreement outside of the CSA since he left. Unfortunately he is currently £1000 in arrears, and knows i cant threaten him with the CSA as they wont include those missed payments.

So i just have to trust he will eventually pay up.

I have told ex that despite his not being legally obligated to pay before they contact him he is morally obligated- not that this will get me anywhere with his shaky morals.