Looks like H has fooled the CSA, anything I can do?

[mybrainaches]

H works caual hours, so can pick and choose when he works, while he was waiting for the SCA to catch up with him, he was refusing hours offered to him, and only working on average 18 hours a week, as soon as the CSA had assessed him and decided how much money he is to contribute, he decided to work all the hours god sends, so now he is paying a measley, £9.92 a week for 3 children. If I inform the CSA of my suspicions will they keep an eye on it?

Self employed people can very easily, I imagine. Plenty of people dodge the tax man, so it must be possible.

Wish it ws that simple NameTaken.. there;s lots of way round it. in my situ his company agreed to pay him partly on paper and partly cash in hand. he also had performance related bonuses that were formally guranteed (but were iykwim). To begin with the company just refused to respond to the CSA's order on his salary.. the csa even went there a couple of times but the company just told them the systems were down on those days.. and the CSA just walked away.

he then went on to say he was neither working or claiming benefits.. so what was he living on?

when he was self employed he would declare a lot less earnings and do as much of his work as cash in hand

My X has dodged the CSA for years and I have to constantly badger them. He lies and cheats and frankly gets away with murder in terms of finance.

The inability to get no resident parents to pay properly is disgusting and the worst crime against children and poverty that this government has made. Whenever they talk about kids and poverty I laugh because of their complete lack of ability to sort out these payments.

my exh has paid the grand total of...

wait for it...

nothing
for fourteen years.

He has shown absolutely no interest whatsoever in his daughter for fourteen years and has not seen her for twelve years.

I would have loved for her to have had a dad that wanted to see her, wanted to spend time with her and perhaps wanted to buy her a pair of shoes now and again, but unfortunately, I married a tosser so it was not to be.

anyhoo....

I have seen both sides of the coin on this one.

Dh was a NRP for 8 years, paid weekly for his Dd and took her Friday to Sunday every week. Mum gave up both her kids in 2000 to their Dads because she had some sort of breakdown.

She took her son back from his Dad left Dd with us, no contact and not paid a penny.

My exH left and refuses to have contact with our Dd she can't even remember what he looks like, he is self employed (his partner owns the business)has a big house new car and was told to pay £5 per week for Dd, I cancelled the C.S.A because that is an insult to our child.

I cannot understand what makes these people so irresponsible and treat the children like this, its beyond me

One day when my Dd is old enough, she will turn up on his doorstep and ask why? who knows what he will say!!

My xp was told he had to pay £50 a week to me for the DC's after they reassessed him (the first time he worked two days a week and the rest cash in hand so had to pay sod all, then he worked extra hours to make up for it once he was assessed not realising they were reassessing him, ha!) Anyway, he paid me twice.
That was over two year ago.
He hasn't bothered with his children since either, his mother regularly comes over with some family member or other to see them, she and I are in contact often, she is in fact having the for the weekend in the summer. I can almost guarantee he will see them for about an hour whilst they are there, because his mum will turn up at his house and force him to. He only live three streets away from her but he won't make the effort.
Some men are pigs, as are some women, I grew up watching my step-dad go to and from courts trying to see his children and every time he got granted some access she'd move, only for him to get a P.I and find her, take her back to court etc, nightmare situation.
I only hope I teach my children to be more careful who they have children with than I was.

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Herbietea - Your new partner would have had to pay until september anyway for dsd under CSA guidelines. The payments must continue until the Sep after higher education officially finishes, regardless of the fact the child may have actually left school after exams in June.

I know this because a guy here at work reduced his payments for his daughter after she had done her exams, continuing to pay his ex for their son. His ex complained and the CSA confirmed that he had to continue paying for his daughter even though she was no longer actually in education. Technically she was considered to be until September. Though his daughter wasn't working. You might be able to argue that as she was working she couldn't also be in full time education.

namestaken - It is perfectly possible to be 'creative' with your income. As the CSA only looks at your net income you can do all kinds of things to reduce this if you are on PAYE. Eg pay extra money into your pension, take a paycut and get your benefits in kind upped instead (eg company car) or show payslips that don't include overtime or bonus.

If you are self employed you can reduce your apparent income by incurring additional costs, buying lots of new equipment sooner so the costs fall into this year, pay yourself dividends rather than salary and time the payment of those dividends to best suit so your income looks artifically low one year.

If you are a director you can also live off your directors loan account rather than divs/salary and simply say your new partner is supporting you as your business is struggling and not making a profit at the moment...

It is quite easy to make the figures say whatever you like really. Especially if the CSA are basing their calculation on a small snapshot of income such as a couple of payslips or a single SATR.

Also if ex is working cash in hand and not declaring this income then you could report them and they may get investigated. I say may as it is unlikely it will be given priority unless they are big time or are claiming benefits as well where they are making efforts to jump on people for fraud. Anyway a good accountant can help correct any 'mistakes' and an appology and paying of fines for an oversight etc is usually what happens for self employed people who are found to have made an error in their accounts or SATR. By the time this gets sorted it is a long time down the line and CSA are unlikely to be told that a SATR has been amended and therefore calculation was incorrect and needs amending.

Oh and you can always submit a SATR with provisonal figures if you are unable to give the actual figures and then amend it later to the actual figures.

It's all too easy really...

Have named changed for this.
My XP is working cash in hand (whilst signing on) to avoid paying via the CSA. I am not on benefits but a very low income so getting more than the £2.50 a week I'm currently entitled to would make a massive difference to DS and I.
I have recently informed the DSS of the situation as I am sick and tired of it and do not think 'the taxpayer' should have to subsidize the upbringing of XPs children. They have responded by 'interviewing' him and making him 'promise' not to do it anymore . I thought it was a serious offence but obviously not.
Sorry Lostdad - I know some NRPs (personally) who are really responsible and want to contribute - but others really don't. XP explained at length to me recently that if he did work above board he'd be better off by only a few pounds a week (after paying the correct amount of maintenance). I acknowledged that this was true but put it to him that his children would be much better off and surely that would make it worthwhile? He didn't even answer.
for DS that his father can't be bothered to do the right thing.

My X has been investigated by the DSS and every time goes from benefits to work and then back again in four weeks. the CSA cant keep up and it is a non starter.

They have told me that they have a fraud section, I wonder who for?

In the meantime I am applying for more jobs in order to get promoted as fast as possible so that I can maintain my kids.

So many of us have suffered ex partners "cheating" the system to get out of paying for the children, im quite just by the few on this thread.

I had a letter this morning from Child Maintenance Options, a new works and pensions scheme, but what is the point, its not going to make my ex pay what he should, just another waste of goverment money that could be used elsewhere.

We are by no means well off and could do with the money that both Dd and Dsd have been cheated out of.

Lostdad you are one of the few NRP that I know that does pay for his children and you should be proud of yourself, but I am really shocked at the scale of NRP's that play the system and openly defraud their own flesh and blood.

I do know of lots of other fathers and absent parents who do right by their children, Lostdad is not alone.

But then I do know others who play the system.

Would be interested to get some actual facts and figures on the various situations though.

Neither Lostdad nor any other parent, absent or otherwise should feel proud of paying for their children. It is your duty to provide for your children.

I am utterly shocked at the stories about lying about income. What about those special forensic accountants that delve through peoples company accounts - why can't they be used. So the CSA basically just believe whatever you tell em, with a couple of phoney wage slips for evidence? What useless people.

Obviously can't force someone to work though. My sisters ex gave up work rather than pay for his kid

They dont delve through accounts, I rang and said he is playing the system, he has just paid for a brand new car for his dad, all I got was "sorry Mrs Roses we cant do a review" yeah right

The C.S.A dont care as long as something is coming through it's counted as a win.

My Dd is worth more than a liars £5 a week, so I stopped it.

I would also like to know some fact and figures on just how many children are being cheated by absent parents who "dont give a damn".