So much for maintenance.

[MuGGGhoulWump]

So, after 8 years, I finally found out I could go to the Australian CSA for maintenance, which I did and was granted $251 a month. Now I think ex can afford more, but can't prove it so accepted it.
It took him months to pay, but I got some, 6 months worth.

The CSA based it on the average wage as ex didn't provide details. They also said that DD costs (roughly) $6000 a year and we pay half each. Fair enough.

Now he has provided details, and what do you know, he now only needs to pay $29 a month. Yes that's about £15.
CSA are also saying that DD costs (roughly) $3000 a year and he has to pay 1%.

I thought they had been great, clearly not.

I'm not daft, ex paid the original amount to buy him time to hide what he really earns.
I'm so bloody angry, both at him, and the CSA who let guys get away with this shit

I guess at least he does live in Australia so I never have to see him, or I'd quite likely rip off his head and shit down his neck shout at him.

i have plenty of experience of how shit the CSA are. ex paid csa for about 2 months before quiting his job years ago just to get out of paying me anything. he is now fraudulently claiming incapacity benefit (there is nothing wrong with him what so ever) and i now get 3.37 per week - whats the point!?

he owes me thousands in arrears which i will prob never see a penny of.

its shit, but im used to it now - its been too long

Ditto!

Took me years to get my DS2's dad to pay up. CSA took 12 months. Was getting 25% to start with. Then CSA changed and decided my DS was only getting 15%.

His dad then told them he not working. So money stopped. I told CSA he working or how else pay rent.

They did not challenge it, unitl my solicitor sent them letter proving that he was paying court cost as he was earning too much to get legal aid. (I was in court proving the bstrd hurt my kids!!)

CSA finaly checked with benefits - nothing registered - so not on benefits.

So they wrote and warned him. He told them he was s/employed and that most £ went on expenses. His dodgy firm stood by him. Now I get £49 a month instead of the original £345!

I think father's hould pay the same amount it costs us to look after our kids. So if the gov say's it costs £85 a week then they should be forced to pay half of this amount. America have the right idea. Absent father's pay most of their wage to their kids, and if they don't pay - it's a criminal offence.

They can't even cash in a winning lottery ticket if they owe child maintenance!!

This country really pisses me off with how little priority they give our kids and how single parents are blamed for everything whilst the 'absent' (scarpered) father gets no blame at all!

Sorry I went on but don't like men who take no responsibility for their own actions.

. I started a claim with the CSA today and don't have much hope of getting any money TBH.

Meglet: all i can say for advice is whatever you do dont rely on getting anything. IF you do get something then its a bonus

i used to include CSA in my budgets etc for the couple of months i was getting it then was f**ked when it stopped and never started again.

CSA is just a big con in my opinion. they give you the hope of getting all this money but in reality prob 90% of people get next to nothing

Thanks for the replies, I needed to rant.
They really are something else the CSA, even on the other side of the world.

I'm so bloody angry, really I am.

He has to pay 1% of what DD costs, and they've managed to halve the amount she supposedly costs. How on earth does that work?
He's not paying to house her either, so how come we both get the same amount of income to live on?

Surely he should get less of an allowance for himself, than what I get for two of us?

Oh and apparently I have $37,000 of taxable income a year. A figure I have never seen before, not have they ever asked for proof of my income.

They talked the talk, but when it's come down to it they've royally screwed me over, and it annoys me more to know that he'll be finding it hilarious.
£15 a month is an insult
I'll spend more than that on the phone to Australia tonight asking wtf is going on.

I agree with Juicychops. The CSA system is so unreliable and downright useless such a large amount of the time, that it's best to try not to rely on the money you might get ... sometimes, easier said than done.

Although I will say, just because some non resident parents (not always men)try to avoid their responsibilities and defraud the system by going self employed just to hide income ... please don't tar all non resident parents with that mighty brush. The CSA have brought in very harsh procedures to deal with non resident parents because of the ones who do all they can to avoid paying and unfortunately, a lot of the time the non resident parents who are trying to do what is best for their children are the ones who end up losing their houses, being taken to court, having 40% of their wages taken off of them due to CSA error when the real non complaint NRPs the organisation were set up to target still get away with it. It's easier for the CSA to target those they can deal with than those who are slipping through the net.

OP what has happened to you is awful. That your ex is allowed to hide income through his self employment is awful. If you think he is living beyond the income he has claimed then appeal. Ask for a variation and demand that they investigate it. Get help from someone like NACSA (if you google them) or have a look on the Money Saving Expert website in the Child Support section for advice. There are some clued up bods on there.

juicychops I can just about survive without maintenance (thanks to the bank of mum & dad) but I have to be really careful with money. If XP does end up paying it will take the pressure off. He stopped paying in July so I've already cut back on things and scraped through.

I have already started a spreadsheet to type in dates of CSA contact / phone calls, names and action taken. I daresay it won't make a blind bit of difference but it gives me the illusion of control over the situation .

I phoned them last night, and what they said is that if I provide proof of my taxable income, which is £0, it will reverse and he will pay 100% of what it costs to keep DD, but he only has £195 a year for himself, so I still won't get more money.

What I can do is go through a procedure to get his finances investigated. I will do this, though to what extent they'll investigate I don't know.
I bet if they go back just a year, they'll see he had a huge income then.

He is claiming to earn just $19,000 a year. Yeah right, when it was over $50,000 ten years ago.
Of course he has his own business so can fiddle it easier.

I'll do whatever I can to get a fair amount of maintenance for DD.

I'd also punch him right in the face!

Thanks for the advice ChocHobNob.
I'm not sure it'll apply in this case, as I'm dealing with the Australian CSA, but I will certainly have a look.

There are some people on the Money Saving Expert website (child support forum) who are claiming maintenance from NRP's in different countries. Someone might have some info x

On the forum search "REMO".