CMS High Earner question

[Bobo65432]

Hi, my ex is a high earner and earns over the £3k a week that the CMS can calculate on. So he pays the amount they have calculated for that, when pushed and always with moaning.

But the CMS have said they don't do calculations for the earnings over 3k, that I need to go to court for that decision.

Please does anyone have any experience of this? He was horrendous through the courts 2 years ago for our financial settlement and still trys to use money to control 😔

Thanks

It's a fine line to tread. He should contribute to his kids, he should want to. But he's a twat and he doesn't.

How much more does he earn? How will that compare against the court costs? E.g. if he brings in £3.5K rather than £3K. Even 20% of that is £100 a week or £5K a year. Would the cost of the court case etc exceed that £5K? He can take it back to court each year to try get it reduced which will result in you spending more money on legal fees.

At what point do you take enough that it becomes more worth it to him to try hide his income or get a lower paid job so he doesn't have to pay you as much? All the tricks. Self-employment, paying himself less and giving his partner a larger wage. Once you get to a certain level - if he's paying 45% tax, NI, 20% CMS etc he's seeing pretty much none of that extra money so he may well decide what's the point of earning it.

Shit but you need to think whether its worth the effort and whether you'll actually be any better off. At 16% of 3K assuming 2 kids - you're getting almost £500 a week or £25K a year in CMS. That's a lot more than someone working full time on national minimum wage earns. That's more like the take home pay of someone in low £30K range. You also work full time so you have a better than average 2 parent household income as a single parent.

@ConfessionsOfAMumDramaQueen absolutely agree. If I was OP I would settle with my lot and not push for all the extras given the figures OP is pushing her luck. It's not just about money either surely as mothers we would hope these fathers want overnight stays and to spend time with their kids too?? These things are priceless.