Child maintenance, new relationship.

[susiedaisy]

Hi just wondering if any wise MNers can help on this one, my exH has moved in with his new GF and got a mortgage together, she has one child that lives with them, does this mean he can now reduce the amount of CM he pays to my dc as he is now looking after someone else's child?

Thanks in advance

I would say yes as this happened to my friend when she split with her husband and he moved in with someone with children and her payments went down.

Yes, if he pays via CSA they will reduce his assessable income by 15% (so for example if he earns £200 per week, currently they use the full £200 to assess his CM, now they will use £170 to assess his CM to account for the child in his household). It is a particular bug bear of mine - CM being reduced for step children.

My friend said mine would go down as ex had moved in with his new gf and her kids, I'd hoped it wasn't true, its a ridiculous system, my children will have to go without because his gf had kids that aren't his? Ffs! Mind you, we haven't fine through csa, so hopefully he won't realise he can lower his payment!

I wonder if they ever look at the bigger picture in that the children he is now living with could/should be getting Child support form their father.

Hi thanks for responses this is what I thought was the case, I don't understand the logic of it all when the step child's father is already paying CM unless of course he can reduce his payments now that his son is being supported by my exH oh well I am going to have to reevaluate my finances again!!

The allowance for children living in the non-resident parent's household deducted from his assessable income might be offset against Working Families Tax Credit if the family is in receipt of them. When WFTC is based on the NRP's income alone or he is the higher earner the WFTC will be added to his income before the usual calculation. If the NRP's and their new partner's income are equal 50% of the families WFTC are added to his income before the calculation.

So that means he gets more rax credits but us charged kess in CM?

Shameless bump to see if I get anymore responses on the issue!

it is normal for the csa to reduce his liability if he resides with another child

but with regard to the tax credit thing. if he is named on a joint tax credit claim then 50% of the wtc get added to his income after the reduction for having a resident child so (for ease of sums im using simple figures)

he earns say £300pw his maintainance would be about £45pw

with one child living with him using just his earned income it would reduce to £38pw

but say they get 100pw wtc that would add £50pw to his income so it would bump what he has to pay back up to £45pw

but the csa will not automaticly find out if he has a joint claim and chances are he wont tell them as most people dont know they have to,so if you know there income is likly to mean they qualify then you should tell the csa.

Hi thanks for responses exH and his new GF have a joint income of around £50,000 so I don't think they would get any tax credits, so frustrating that he can reduce his CM payments now he has a step child as I'm surviving on a fraction of their income, but that's life I suppose

Has he reduced it?

it is frustrating i know. hopefully if you dont mention money to him he wont know he can

Hi dadd yes he has because he now has his GF's child living under the same roof and also part of his wage is made up of self employed work which has mysteriously reduced so his payments have gone down by nearly 25%, I know there are many many poor mums who get bugger all so I am grateful that I get something, but its so unsettling when your income can change overnight like that,

I will get the new reduced amount at begin of nov.