Child Support Agency Questions

[AlwaysTheMummy]

Can anyone help??

Well the story is I'm struggling financially and the person formally known as my husband is not contributing, I've tried texting him and ringing him but he's ignoring me.

So my choices are either to struggle along or to get the CSA involved, but I have a few questions:

Is it an easy process?
If they manage to collect money from the father, does it get reducted from your benefits?

I'm a little worried that they will reduce my tax credits by the amount they are collecting, if thats the case there is no point even contacting them.

Thanks in advance for any comments you would like to share xx

[evolucy7]

No child maintenance through the CSA will not affect benefits or tax credits.

It depends if he is employed, do you know who his employer is, do you know his address?
If he is employed and you know his employer and his contact details it should be fairly straighforward, if he refuses to pay they will take straight from his wages.

[AlwaysTheMummy]

I only know where he lives, I don't know where he works unfortunately.

[evolucy7]

Well that is a start they can write to him, is he employed?

[AlwaysTheMummy]

The last I knew yes he was but I haven't seen or heard from him for 3 months

[evolucy7]

Well I don't think you've got anything to lose, as I say CSA payments no longer affect benefits or tax credits, so you can only gain from it.
In my experience of the CSA you do have to keep phoning or it seems that it can take a long time.

[MarkStretch]

I made a CSA claim. Actually the opposite of what I had heard about them, they were really good and efficient and I didn't have to keep ringing them at all. In fact they rang me regularly to update me on the claim.

I gave them all the details I knew about ex-DP and they did all the leg work. It may have been easier in my case because he is claiming JSA and so they could deduct straight from his benefit (a whole £5 a week- woo!) but this is paid straight into my bank account. They also made him backdate his payment for a good few months so I got a small amount as a lump sum.

Hope that helps.

[AlwaysTheMummy]

Thank you for your replies, I think I'm gonna contact them and make a claim, I've tried to contact him but he's ignoring me so more fool him x

[SingleMumAndProud]

I would do it asap as sometimes it can take a while. I claimed in October and I am likely to get money in around March, but it will be backdated to October. Its taking longer for me as he a) was difficult about it and B) he started a new job a few weeks ago and they need to wait for a few proper pay slips to work out an average amount he earns so they know how much he should pay.

I regrett not claiming sooner but I trusted him to set up payment (which we agreed on £200 but I never get it!). If I had claimed when we first split up, I would have had money by now and if not it would of been back dated till July so I would of got more.

[belleshell]

i too am thinking of putting in a claim. we spolit in June i moved out september and up until this month my ex H hasnt paid for anything,this is my fault we have shared parenting, a week with him a week with me. i claim benefits, he doesnt....but then i am living a hundred miles away from my family ( his family live in the same village as us both) HE EARNS 21k a year ore than me, and we probably have similar outgoings. i have paid for school dinners and child care from the kids since i left. he did eventually agree last month to pay school dinners which is a 100 pound a month but my solicitor thinks i should be entitled to about 160 pound a month. i feel bad claiming but today i have had a bit of reality check. i feel quilty for leaving an unhappy marriage, but today i have realised he should feel quitly for not making me want to stay. He is taking his new girlfriend out for a christmas party and they are going to a concert next week. the last christmas party we went to togethr was 5 years ago and he wouldnt take me to pub let alone a concert........

It is a jerk reaction but something i have been thinking of..any advice

[houseproject]

Belleshell,

Can I recommend that you encourage your ex to sit down with you and work out the actual costs of raising your children - school dinners, childcare etc and then work out what money should be shared between you both. Shared parenting is something that you should congratulate yourselves on, if it works out you will really be doing well for your children (kids remember how their parents dealt with each other rather than what money they had spent on them). My dd is now a teen so I do know where you are coming from. He & you should be sharing costs for the children but when you meet a new partner you won't want him reacting to your spending. Sometimes going to the CSA is the best solution - its impartial and operates a forumale however if you share care it's not really the best route. The best solution for the children is that they have a home with each parent, they have parents who work together to provide for them. Aim for that - dealing with an ex is so hard, it requires more tolerance than almost any other situation in life but the children are worth that. I've had little finanical support from my ex but it doesn't matter, my dd who is now a teen still loves him even if I've had to mostly provide for her. With kids you do get what you put in and I'm reaping the rewards for all my 'investments'. I know what situation I would prefer to be in.

[Truckulent]

We sat down and worked out the costs and pay 50/50.
We also share the child benefit 50/50. We both earn about the same money (or did), it would be a bit difficult to split everything 50/50 if one has sacrificed a
career and therefore earns less though.