Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

CMS - Missing Payments

17 replies

Nickwinkle · 07/08/2022 12:58

Asking on behalf of DH.

Has anyone paying CMS had an issue with their payments? My DH pays his CMS each Monday but following the August annual review all of his payments are suddenly missing off the system for the last 2 years despite the fact he pays every week (yes, he does). He now apparently owes CMS for two years - thousands of pounds.

Has anyone had the same system glitch or could it be his ex has told them he never pays?

Payments were previously showing up on his portal but they've now disappeared.

He intends on ringing them tomorrow but want a heads up if anyone's been through similar and if it was easily resolved?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

WinnysPinny · 07/08/2022 16:10

Won’t he have proof that he pays - bank statements?

Original poster

Nickwinkle · 07/08/2022 19:14

He does. He's just freaking out and they've brushed him off a lot before so I don't really blame him.

OP posts:

Hapoydayz · 07/08/2022 19:18

Sounds like it should be easily resolved as he can show his bank statements so no need to worry as probably just a system error

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General parenting

Original poster

Nickwinkle · 11/08/2022 08:11

Turns out she told CMS that she'd switched to them collecting funds, but no one told him.

So she was receiving two payments, one from CMS and one from him, each week for the last 7 months. He's sent his bank statements so he's in the clear thankfully but she's now £2.7k in debt to CMS...

OP posts:

Sux2buthen · 11/08/2022 08:28

Strange it went to collect and pay of he was paying already.

Sux2buthen · 11/08/2022 08:29

loveisagirlnameddaisy · 11/08/2022 08:57

But it's all his money so surely he wasn't paying double unknowingly?

liveforsummer · 11/08/2022 09:01

Nickwinkle · 11/08/2022 08:11

Turns out she told CMS that she'd switched to them collecting funds, but no one told him.

So she was receiving two payments, one from CMS and one from him, each week for the last 7 months. He's sent his bank statements so he's in the clear thankfully but she's now £2.7k in debt to CMS...

How does that work. CMS wouldn't give her any money unless they'd actually collected said money from the NRP. They don't just pay then ask for it later. They also don't go to collect and pay without giving nrp multiple chances to pay (which he was doing). Doesn't sound like you've got the right story here

Original poster

Nickwinkle · 11/08/2022 15:40

He wasn't notified it had changed to collect and pay. He just carried on transferring to her bank account.

When he spoke to CMS they told him they'd been paying her, which is why it showed as he was indebted to them by £2.5k. Apparently they pay and then when you send to CMS it pays it straight off? There was a good chunk of about £500 interest added to what he 'owed'. Either way, they confirmed they'd been paying her also. Definitely have the right story as I've been present for all of it 😬

He's in the clear and that's all that matters 😫

OP posts:

Sux2buthen · 11/08/2022 22:06

No they don't pay it and then take it back lol, if they did I might receive something 😂
They take it directly from wages/ benefits to pass on plus a percentage and communicate all this to both parties.
Something not quite right

Sux2buthen · 11/08/2022 22:07

And they only move to collect and pay as a last attempt resort kind of thing

liveforsummer · 11/08/2022 22:20

Yes they definitely, definitely do not do that 😆. There would be a whole lot less very skint single parents if they did. I'm not sure what has happened but your dp is not being honest with you if that's what he's said as the explanation

Tigerstripes1 · 11/08/2022 22:28

Yeah that doesn't happen. They don't pay until they receive the funds, I was forever getting emails stating they didn't receive the funds so couldn't pay me.

Gingerkittykat · 12/08/2022 01:06

I agree that doesn't happen but given how terrible the CMS is I wouldn't be surprised if they did something like that in error.

It might be worth him doing a SAR request to see exactly what data they hold about him.

OverTheRubicon · 12/08/2022 01:59

She definitely doesn't have a debt to the CMS.

What might have happened is:
He's paid her directly
She's said (accidentally or otherwise) to CMS that he'd pay via them
Because he wasn't paying them monthly, they've been accruing a debt for him

However she wouldn't have got double money - as many many many single mothers here can tell you, CMS don't pay if they don't receive the cash, they just let the debt mount up.

So therefore, either there's a double counting and they need to cancel the debt.(evidence should help), OR he's been telling you porkies.
One depressing fact that could help in your situation is that they don't really enforce much or anything, so at least you don't need to feel threatened.

liveforsummer · 12/08/2022 09:13

Gingerkittykat · 12/08/2022 01:06

I agree that doesn't happen but given how terrible the CMS is I wouldn't be surprised if they did something like that in error.

It might be worth him doing a SAR request to see exactly what data they hold about him.

While I agree they make plenty errors, parting with money they haven't received definitely won't be one of them as thousands on here I'm sure will be able to tell you.

Original poster

Nickwinkle · 19/08/2022 15:30

Maybe CMS guy got the wrong end of the stick? :/ I was on the call with my DH so heard everything the guy was saying and it's as I've said previously. They even told him she's been receiving double payments and they'll need to recuperate it so there's some confusion going on somewhere!

Thinking about it though it does kinda make sense;

He was paying direct to her. His payments were showing up on the online portal as paid (he's very transparent with this stuff with me).
She had apparently told them back in January that he was paying through CMS and they were paying her
Suddenly all his payments are missing from the online portal

I'm thinking maybe there was a system/admin error and they took mistook his payments on the portal as him paying them, then passed it to her? Going on the assumption they have a general pot money goes in to, and another general pot money comes out of. No idea as I've never used CMS!

Either way looks like it's sorted as he's not heard anything from them since. 🤞

OP posts:

Flip