Maintenance Questions

[StressedToTheMaxx]

This is really a question about maintenance...

Ex and I have 1 dc together-9 years old.
Dc was unplanned and we split before dc was born.
Ex has always told me how much maintenance is was entitled too- I don't know his wage etc/ he is a bit of a story teller so don't know if I would believe him even if he told me an amount.
I have always felt bad at taking money as I had he final say over keeping the child.

Anyways when I mentioned i was struggling to a friend and that I asked for an increase last year for the first time and had to justify it to him to get it. When I said the new amount to a friend she was shocked it was so low.

More info
Dp and I have a dc also and we manage-its tight but we get there.

Ex also has a dd with his off-on girlfriend (who is lovely to our dc )
Ex himself is a bit of a let down to our dc. Irregular contact, no birthday, no Xmas.
I am starting to think the least he could do is pay proper maintenance-as grabby and mean as that my sound

Anyways is £30 a week an okay amount?
It's more than some get.
How would you find out if he is paying a fair amount?
(All I want it to be is fair)

What job does he have?

The amount of payment depends on how many children he is paying for, the number of children in his household, how many overnights he has.

Here’s a calculator: www.gov.uk/calculate-your-child-maintenance

£130 a month doesn’t sound like a lot. He’d be earning just £19,300 gross a year (assuming the other child lives with him and he has yours 52 - 103 overnights a year).

Can you ask him to prove his income? It’s not being grabby - he should be contribution.

My OH pays £700 a month (£100 over the stated CMS amount) for 2 children - he has them EOW and half of the holidays and he buys clothes on top. The mother says it’s a ‘pathetic contribution’. Sometimes you can’t win.

Ex has no over night contact with ds. Just visitation.
And no his other child doesn't live with him either. He may/ many not have that child over nights not sure.

He works as a pool lifegard.

That is a very large contribution NothernSpirit
I would never expect him to subsidies my household. Just a fair amount.

You sound really fair OP. He could be on minimum wage and I don’t know if that woukd be a FT job. Only way is to ask him to see a wage slip?

My OH’s EW is a whole different story - she woukd have the shirt off his back if she could. Only works 3 PT days 16 hours a week herself (kids are 10 & 13 - refuses to work anymore). Expects the EX to still pay for her.