child mantinence

[sazm]

hi al, just a quick question,just split with oh,we have 3 kids,i dont work,he does.
i've just started a claim for income support,but what happens regarding child mantinence,does that come to me? or not because im on benefits?

thanks all x

[MrGin]

Depends if you're the resident parent ( i.e. have the kids most of the time ) , assuming you do, your XP will be paying around ( not sure for three kids ) somewhere around 25% of his income after tax, NI and pension contributions.

This is reduced by 1/7th for every night he has the kids per week. ( roughly )

If he refuses to pay you can go to the CSA.

[sazm]

ah,yep i have them most of the time, thanks very much xx

[Riakin]

Hi sazm

MrGin is correct. It will be 25% of income.

On another note the money goes to you to support your children but as well as that you should actively be seeking work too now that you have separated.

If you have just separated I would recommend the following (as you have 3 children)
$200 per calendar month
School uniforms
$10 each into a bank account for 18/21/25
Pocket money
Half of school trips

This allows for an amicable arrangement and will secure opportunity for flexibility in the future. It also covers all short, medium and long term benefits. Also the CSA often make a pigs ear of an often workable agreement (assuming you can be on talking terms) .

Good luck

[Riakin]

That should be $10 each month each

[sazm]

thanks all, i have a 2yr old,and no childcare so wont be going back to work until he starts school,so i will receive income support until then, next task is to approach ex P about this arrangement!
all advice gratefully received thanks :)

[ChocHobNob]

Riakin, how can you put a figure on the monthly child support amount without knowing what the non resident parent earns? They might not earn ?£200 a month if part time etc or they might be very well paid and 200 would be less than he is expected to pay.

OP the CSA would take 25% of his net pay, with a reduction for 1 Overnight a week or more.

[ChocHobNob]

You would receive all of it as child support is disregarded for benefits purposes.

[STIDW]

Have a look at the CM Options, where there is a calculator to give you a rough idea what is reasonable, and Parent Connections websites and encourage your partner/husband to have a look too. If you can come to agreement between you there is more likelihood of you both being satisfied and the arrangement being adhered to.

[Vibrant]

If you go onto the CSA website the calculator there will tell you what they would assess him as needing to pay. You will get this in addition to any other payments that you receive.

Hopefully you can come to an arrangement that you are both happy with without having to go through the CSA, but if he won't pay or starts to get difficult it's pretty straightforward to complete the forms.

Riakin's £200 is just a random figure that might be plenty for some, just right for some and not nearly enough for others. It all depends on your individual circumstances, housing costs etc. Maybe when you know what the CSA might expect him to pay you can add it to your benefits and look at what your budget and his budget might look like, so that neither of you end up being left in poverty at the expense of the other one.

It would be worth going on Entitled To as well to make sure that you're getting all the benefits you're entitled to.

[STIDW]

I should have explained that the CM Options is a CSA website and has the CSA calculator. The advantage of using CM Options is it gives more details about the options for arranging child support and links into the CSA website where it is appropriate.

http://www.cmoptions.org

[STIDW]

Grr.. try //www.cmoptions.org

[sazm]

thanks very much everyone, have done that and it comes up with £280 a month,have spoken to him and he is happy to pay me weekly into my bank account,
thanks again :)

[MrGin]

a happy resolution... !

[Riakin]

Glad its sorted without the CSA, likewise my offer when all considered wasn't that far off afterall :)

[sazm]

yep,all sorted,thanks folks,had to go to the jobcentre this morning to sort out income support too,but all good,pretty straight forward with them for a change! :)