Should I ask him to pay half for the uniform or holiday care?

[CharlieUniformNovemberTango]

I do get CS from DS's dad but understood this to cover the basic day to day care.

Does it cover things like school uniform? DS is starting in September so I need to get everything. Should I ask for half? I am certain that he won't offer.

Also, when the claim for CSA was made I wasn't working. That has now changed and I am part time at the moment due to start full time in september. The holiday child care s going to take 3/4 of my wage but I have no choice right now. Someone mentioned that we should split childcare costs but I'm not sure if that's my responsibility when he's in my care?

He doesn't see his dad often due to distance and we are now sharing the journey more or less equally. I'm just wondering what the norm is?

Ex has only been in contact with DS for nearly a year so it's all a bit new to me!

All he has to pay is the 15% the CSA work out. It isn't right in some ways - as you say if you are working you have 100% of the childcare to pay for just so you can pay your share of your DS's care.
The government want single parents to work yet we get no help regarding child care. The NRP does not have to contribute anything to this and if they choose to have little or no contact we have to pick that slack up too - oh but wo betide us, if the NRP does at any stage want contact we then have to work it all out and deal with the down draft to make that happen - because it is if course better for the child - yeah right!

If he is paying via the CSA or the CSA amount then he isn't obliged to pay extra for ad-hoc things like uniforms or school trips or for childcare. However, plenty of non resident parents are happy to pay for extra things or buy them themselves as they realise sometimes CSA money doesn't cover it all. Why don't you explain the situation and just ask, it can't hurt to ask.

As a single parent you should be able to claim tax credits and they will cover up to 70% of your childcare costs.

I can't claim tax credits until September as the hours aren't enough at the moment.

But the job suddenly opened up (via volunteering) and if I didn't take it someone else would have. Come september I can go full time after my training is done and then everything will be on a more even keel financially.

I guess I'll just have to suck it up for a couple of months.

It really won't be worth asking him. This is the guy that argued aver a miscalculation of £3 a month....

Unfortunately any paents over and above the limit set by CSA are up to the NRP discretion.

My lovely DH pays for half of all 'extras' I.e. school uniform, trips, clothes, in addition to maintenance payments. His DC mother does not work and has no money.

My XP however, pays the bare minimum set by the CSA and contributes nothing at all towards school trips or any other 'extras'.

But yes, once you cam claim WFTC you should be able to claim for some of your childcare. Without that I wouldn't have been able to work and support me and DS when I was a LP.

try asking the school about second hand uniform.

Over and above the CSA calculation is optional by the NRP.

That's a good idea BlackeyedSusan.

I wasn't really sure if IWBU to ask but now I'm not sure it's worth the trouble. We'll cope and if he doesn't want to offer then I guess that's his call.

I guess I shouldn't be too upset - I'm lucky he is finally paying CSA even if it did take years. I know that's more then many LP's get.

both mine wear mainly second hand uniform. it saves a lot of hassle as I can have several sets rather than one or two and struggle to wash them every night. dd is very mucky.

Does your local council do a 'school uniform grant' for those on a low income?