Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

Original poster

maintainance

29 replies

giggleshizz · 04/05/2014 20:09

Is there an easy way to calculate what exp should pay for dd?

He earns around £42,000 a year and dd is his only child. He rarely sees her so no overnights etc and I pay for everything.

He is paying £200 month at the moment but I have a feeling I could ask for more?

OP posts:
Steelojames · 04/05/2014 20:42

As your child is his only child and there are no overnight visits you are entitled to 15% for one child.
So 15% of 42,000....3,500 is his monthly wage....15% is 525.
So you would get more if you went through the maintenance service. Bear in mind they are introducing minor fees this summer which I think is like 4% off what you get.
Don't quote me on that tho!!!
Good luck.

Original poster
giggleshizz · 04/05/2014 20:46

Thanks. So it is 15% before taxes? I thought it was after taxes. Don't really know enough about this. Thank you.

OP posts:
HerRoyalNotness · 04/05/2014 20:53

Old system is after taxes, the new cmec options system is before taxes and the percentage is less

Steelojames · 04/05/2014 20:54

To be honest I'm not sure if it's before or after taxes either, I'm still yet to make my claim!
But if is after taxes it would still be more than the £200 you are getting.

Original poster
giggleshizz · 04/05/2014 21:35

Thank you!

OP posts:
MisForMumNotMaid · 04/05/2014 21:41

this document explains how its worked out. Its basically 12% gross for 1 child after taking out pension contributions plus 1/7 off for each night they regularly stay with paying parent. Then 16% for 2 children, 19% for 3 or more.

If they earn over certain amounts the payment percentage reduces!

MisForMumNotMaid · 04/05/2014 21:46

I'd guesstimate his maximum pension contributions are 10% even so payments would be £440 ish calendar month. You'd loose 4% as a fee. He'd pay an extra 20% on top of each payment plus fees for every chasing letter and bounced payment.

Steelojames · 04/05/2014 21:49

Sorry I got the figures wrong.
Last time l checked I thought it was 15%, apologies.

MisForMumNotMaid · 04/05/2014 21:56

I thought it was too. XH loves these new numbers. 2DC used to be 20% gross now its 16% after pension contributions.

nomoretether · 04/05/2014 22:12

2DC used to be 20% net, not gross. CMS are expecting the new calculations to result in higher payments for NRPs.

STIDW · 04/05/2014 22:21

Information about the statutory calculation and a calculator for the gross income scheme which is now used for new applications are available here;

www.gov.uk/child-maintenance/further-information

Currently there are no charges but the Government plans to introduce fees for collecting child maintenance in the future. There will be no charge if child maintenance is paid directly to the parent with the majority of care. Therefore it makes sense to negotiate a family based agreement and pay direct using the CMS calculator as the basis for any arrangement, although parents can agree any amount they wish between themselves.

mummyOF4darlings · 05/05/2014 23:41

Sorry dont mean to sound harsh, Do you need the extra money? Just thinking if youve remained amicable after your seperation why rock the boat iyswim, 200 a month is a good amount I would say alot of guys dont pay anything so despite his good wage I personally would just leave things as they are unless you are in desperate need of more.

Sounds like he could do with stepping up to the mark in other ways first. Sorry if ive sounded like a cow btw, I just like the simple life Grin

McPhee · 05/05/2014 23:48

I get £1.75 a week

I shit you not!

Daddy of the year or what Hmm

DespicableWee · 06/05/2014 10:49

Heh £1:67 for two kids here, McPhee

giggleshiz regardless of whether it is gross or net, it sounds like using the CSA calculation will double the amount of maintenance for your daughter. I honestly don't think it matters if you can manage without it, it isn't your money to make that decision. It's your daughters money, or at least to be used for her. If you don't need the money to help towards covering her basics, then it's money to pay for swimming or gymnastics lessons or school trips. It's savings to give her a boost when she leaves home or goes to uni. She has a right to it and needs you to be her advocate in getting it for her.

Tbh if her father isn't seeing her much anyway, it doesn't sound like there is any reason to avoid rocking the boat and asking him to alter the payments to be in line with the CSA calculation but keep it as a private arrangement if that's what has worked so far so you both avoid the extra fees when they come in.

TheNewSofa · 06/05/2014 11:02

I thought minimum payment was £5 a week

How come some of you are getting less than that?

DespicableWee · 06/05/2014 12:56

The absolute minimum is a nil award which I think applies if the NRP is on a very low wage and has other children living with them.

The £5 payment is the standard amount for when it is taken out of benefits. That £5 is all that can be deducted, but takes no a count of how many children it is paying for, unlike the 15% for one, 20% for two CSA rules.

In my case I have 2 DC and their father has had another 4 after them, none of whom he lives with so that £5 is split equally between the children at a rate of 83p per child, per week. Because 2 live with me, our household gets £1:66. The other mother with 2 of his kids gets the same and the two who have one child with him each receive 83p a week.

WeebleOfWombledon · 06/05/2014 13:21

I knew of the £5 a week rule with benefits but didn't realise that about the split. Pretty obvious really that it's going to have to be split so many ways if you don't live with your children. Pretty disgusting really. For example with you, Despicable, how on earth are you meant to use £1.66 for 2 children. The same goes for the mum on 83p. You can't even buy bare essentials with that. Talk about a kick in the teeth and how anyone can be fine with that amount (father or government) is beyond me.

Getting a fiver is enough of a piss take.

Does anyone know how that equates when the ex has another child who lives at home with them? Does the benefit amount stay the same or are the children living at home taken in to account as they are when not on benefits?

DespicableWee · 06/05/2014 14:01

For CSA purposes, any children in the NRP's home are ignored when it comes to a benefit deduction, whether they are the NRP's own child or step child. They don't get counted in the total number of children to split the £5 between but nor is any child benefit, tax credits or maintenance claimed for them taken into account when calculating the NRP's income to determine if they pay the £5pw.

Which is good I guess as my ex is now living with a woman who has 4 kids so if they were included as well, it would work out at 50p a child.

mummyOF4darlings · 06/05/2014 16:17

DespicableWee - Do csa take into account any out goings of the father? I understand what your saying to op and im not sticking up for the absent father i think any man who doesnt show interest in his kids is a waste of space, but to me 200 a month is a lot of money, he may look like he has a good wage on paper but if he has a lot of out goings its not fair to skint him.

I know im probilly in the minority here and i probilly am soft but just think unless there is a really urgent need for extra then just leave it. I get 50.00 a week for my 3 youngest kids and 25.00 a week for my eldest arrangement made between us never involved csa so im not as clued up as i guess should be. Both my exs have a decent job with good income but with cost of their own homes and cars etc I would feel terrible to start demanding more, saying that though. Saying that though i totally understand our circumstances are different mine sleep out 2 nights a week and get taken places which all adds up for dad.

oddity2001 · 06/05/2014 19:05

£1.75 a week wow.

I pay £1800 per month excluding the house bills, but this is still not enough.

Minime85 · 06/05/2014 19:45

we used the online calculator and just went with that. if there any big costs like expensive school trips or trips with out of school clubs like brownies then we split cost. I think I could get more if I wanted officially but I'm happy with arrangements and don't want him left with nothing for when dcs go there. I can't afford a holiday this year but month to month we have what we need

DespicableWee · 06/05/2014 20:06

I believe the only outgoings CSA consider are the priority ones like tax, council tax and other maintenance such as spousal maintenance. Which is exactly as it should be. If other outgoings are higher it is usually because the standard of living is higher. Why should a child go without or have a reduced standard of living to allow their NRP to have a bigger house that they never see, or a fancier car that they never go out in, or holidays that won't be included in?

The only exception to explain my 'usually' caveat that I can think of are if there is a massive cost of living difference, such as the NRP living in London and having commuting cost and the RP being in a small town in the North. In those circumstances, there would be a disparity then between cost of essential outgoings. For the vast majority of people, that isn't the case so systems are set up that cover the majority of people.

A decent NRP will accept that they can't live the life of Riley off their child's back and would be perfectly happy to pay the CSA minimum of 15%. A decent NRP would do the CSA calculator themselves to make sure that is the right amount and pay it without complaint. Anyone paying less in anything other than very unique circumstances is depriving their child to benefit themselves which is abhorrent and should be treated as such by society.

McPhee · 06/05/2014 20:25

oddity2001 we are saving up for a Ferrari Wink

mammadiggingdeep · 06/05/2014 21:02

83 fucking p a week??????????? You can't even but a bloody decent loaf of bread for that!!!!

I bet he's in the pub telling his mates he " pays for his kids". Joke!!!

Loverdose · 07/05/2014 09:38

I guess it depends what the outgoings are. My ex brings Home £2000 a month after tax and pension contributions. His monthly outgoings rent and bills come to about £1000. He gives me £400 a month for dd leaving him with £600 disposable income which is a bloody lot if you ask me.