please dont jump on me, I dont know what to do about this

[InQuandry]

My partner and I are in financial dire, mainly due to child support payments. We really cannot afford to live. My partner had a fling with a woman several years before I met him which ended in a pregnancy. Their relationship was very volitile and it ended up with him severing all contact. he handed himself into the csa when the child was born, even though there was a dispute over parentage. But the child was his and he always paid. The only time he hasnt paid has been for a few months when he has changed jobs. This has mainly been due to the imcompetance of the csa. He has always informed then when he has changed jobs, we always felt it was responsible and necessary.

He changed jobs again a few months ago and his payments have gone up to an astronomical price. We can only afford to pay the council tax and the mortgage out of his wages. I am unable to work as I am a full time carer. All the other bills are coming out of our disabled dependants benefits It is just so dire. I have been dipping into savings to pay off the overdraft every month and now they are all gone. Back in November the csa agreed the payments were way too high and agreed on another figure. My partner keeps ringing and they keep telling him it was all in hand. Last week he rang and they told him that because it was taking so long to sort out the payments he would be recompensated the money since december that he has overpaid.

This morning a letter arrived from them. It says he now owes 6.7k that has been underpaid and to pay 600 immediately. The payments go out ofhis wages from a deduction order that he volountarily set up. I havent been able to stop shaking. i have been physically sick and I just dont know what to do. I have rang them up myself as my partner isnt here and doesnt know yet and they said 'it was a mistake' as as he has a deduction order they will contact his company direct.

I also asked when the other payment would be sorted out and they said it wouldnt, they need physical proof now, which was provided when we changed mortgage 3 years ago. So now I am sorting out statements from the mortgage company and council tax to send off to them and even then 'they cant guarentee anything'.

I am so scared that this debt is going to spiral. I amf rightened my house is going to be repossessed. I just dont know what to do to sort the maintenance money out. Even by the calculator on the website it is WAY WAY over what it even estimates for men with no other children. I just dont know what to do, I know this sounds like a woe is me tale but I feel sick to the bottom of my stomach and I am even worried that everyone on here will think badly of me and kick me down. We have never resented paying his child maintenance moeny, ever. The amount is just beyond our financial capabilities though.

sorry i should also say that this new job he has actually taken a 5k paycut from his l;ast employment

I don't have any advice but we are having similar problems with the CSA. Dh doesn't owe them money (as found by their appeals panel) and they are still taking £350 pm from his wages. They are just awful. My fear is that they use people like us to make up for their woeful shortfall in collecting money from dads who are absent and not paying for their children.

I'm so sorry you are in this situation.

You need to see a CAB advisor immediately!

You also need to contact your mortgage company asap, in writing, and explain the situation. Send backup info if need be. Hurry! The post office is still open. You can get it in for Recorded Delivery.

Ditto the council re: your tax.

Get into your bank today, too. You might be able to arrange an emergency overdraft.

Got ANYTHING to sell? Put it on Ebay Sunday evening for a one week auction.

How about evening and weekend work? I know you're a carer, but they're your husband's kids, too.

When we were left in a lurch when our tax credits were cut, DH had to get an evening/weekend job whilst I looked after the kids - I work days when not on mat leave. There was just no other way to live w/o the money he earned.

How about tax credits? Have you applied? WARNING: KEEP a copy of your application. Do it in pen and ink and keep a copy of the signed application.

Have not had dealings with CSA for about 4 yaers now but I am of the opinion that it should be disbanded they are a load of Wankers who have no right to judge or tell people what to do if they cant even get their own job right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Their ive said it! sorry its not much use but I hope you can get this sorted soon for your own sanity.Try questioning them on how they came up with the figuere and who it is for, we paid thousands of pounds for a child who had the same fathers name as DP and were told it was for my sd then when we found out took them to court to get money back!!!!! BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!! sORRYx

Have not had dealings with CSA for about 4 yaers now but I am of the opinion that it should be disbanded they are a load of Wankers who have no right to judge or tell people what to do if they cant even get their own job right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Their ive said it! sorry its not much use but I hope you can get this sorted soon for your own sanity.Try questioning them on how they came up with the figuere and who it is for, we paid thousands of pounds for a child who had the same fathers name as DP and were told it was for my sd then when we found out took them to court to get money back!!!!! BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!! sORRYx

Get to your MP now as well they will write to the very top to get it sorted out and bypass all theother appeals procedures etc. We had to do this when they demanded money from dp even tho he had been made redundant.

I had a job sorting tax credits out but I was awarded them and told that even though they are for my children they have to be taken into acount by the csa (?!) for my partners child. I have rang the mortgage and council tax and they are sending all the info out so at least on monday I can send it off to the csa for them to put in a big pile and forget about

I am also trying to make an appointment with CAB but cant get through atm.

I do work weekends expat but I do get paid peanuts. I also work every annual holiday my partner has, was working all over christmas and still didnt really have much to show for it. Put it this way what i earnt working all hours at time and a half only would have paid half a maintenance payment and my usual bring home pay wouldnt even dent it.

Will look through my stuff and see about ebaying it! I am really sorry people are being fleeced too. I just dont know how to go about getting the underpayment reduced or getting them to look at his payment properly. Everyone he has spoken to there has said he is paying double what he should and that everything is in hand and yet this shock this morning and the fact it is never sorted makes me feel so unsafe.

i know that the CSA are not the most helpful people, btu you really need to get it sorted with them, rathet than paying the money.

we had a letter once telling us that DH owed over 2K, and I nearly died, but when he called them they were unhelpful etc, but eventually he was given a number for the local office, and spoke to someone who told him they had got it wrong.

he actually looked into getting legal advice, and one solicitor who he spoke to was of the opinion that the CSa alwys cock it up. Not very helpful, but so true.

we have no control over the money paid as it goes out under a deduction of earnings order which was volountry

InQuandry,
We have not had much to do with the CSA for a while,DH's payments were sorted some years ago and we just get reviewed every 2 years now, and not much seems to change.
However,in the early years while they were still trying to get it right we had terrible trouble with them. DH couldn't get any sense out of anyone on the phone, he kept having to speak to different people each time,they kept loseing his documents,etc.In the end he asked if he could speak to someone in person, and they arranged a local appointment for him at a DSS office or something. He got to explain everything to an person who then photocopied and varified all his documents.They agreed that he had been messed about and personally mad sure every thing was delt with quickly, they even OKed a refund.
I don't know if this kind of thing is still available but it's worth asking, rather than baning your heads against a brick wall trying to get sense out of someone on the phone.

thanks everyone x

jac34 my partner is going to ring them up monday and see if anyone can do this. He is meeting CAB the week after next. He was really upset about it all, cant see where they have got the debt of 6.7k from unless they have accounts under two different branches (not sure whether this would happen) but we live at different ends of the country and wondered if there had been a mix up. Either way, we have no idea what is going on It is just a nightmare. The poor child is 12 now and they still cant sort her account out properly

Hello inquandry,

me and my dp have had loads of problems with csa, and yes it is possible to have two different accounts they did this with my dp, we kept getting letters saying we wasn't paying even tho we sent a cheque every month. Dp rang them up and eventually they said they had two accounts set up for him, thought this was the end of the problems. But the last week we have been getting letters again saying we owe them stupid amounts of money rang up again and they told dp they had put his payments up but hadn't informed him, they said it was there fault. They are so quick at sending out debt letters but cant get anything right at there own end makes me so . i hope you sort it out soon