Benefit fraud blocking child maintenance

[Mummaonherown]

Help!
Between July/October last year my ex claimed UC, he was awarded housing costs around 550 and single person allowance, he was laid off and found a new job on 17th October.
I opened a child maintenance case back in August 23 as he wasn't great at paying, I didn't have to use it, or should I say I let him off without paying a few times.
Anyway he went back to work in October (self employed, paid through CIS straight into bank account) and was paying me money every week until December 6th he told me due to Christmas/not working he can't afford to pay for his son and he would resume payments in January (he still got paid up until 23rd December just didn't give me a penny) I didn't argue I didn't see the point.
He kept delaying payments, told me I'd get money last Friday(17th) then said he didn't have it, so I called CSA.
They proceeded to tell me "because he's on benefits he only has to pay me £7.00 a week" I explained he wasn't on benefits anymore (he told me he had come off) but they told me he was lying and he's been paid on 1.11 1.12 and 1.11.
Obviously I was upset, he knows I've struggled especially over Christmas and he's been pocketing 900 extra he shouldn't have, whether he's using that money for his rent I don't know.
They said I had to report him to benefit fraud, so I did on Monday but I was told the investigation could take 6 months.
Child maintenance have said until they get notification from UC all he has to pay is the £7.00 a week, even though he clears £700.00 a week from his job, and worse still if found to be committing fraud by he will have to pay back money fraudulently claimed to the government by CSA will not backdate all the missed payments during this time and will reassess when the notification comes in, so technically my son loses out around £1700.
Surely there's something I can do, this doesn't sound right, my rent is going up in April and my son starts school.
I havent stopped contact I've always encouraged it (he has him 2 nights a month, his choice)
I work part time and life is expensive enough.
How should I take this further and AIBU to expect back dated payments.
I spoke to my ex on Tuesday and he's blamed me for "ruining him" for reporting him.
Anyone got any advice?

This sounds awful and reporting someone for benefit fraud is horrible. How do you know for sure he doesn't depend on those benefits ??? He needs to be able to live and house himself. Yes he should pay for his child but he can only pay what he can afford.

People can work and claim UC /house benefit so what is it you think he has done wrong exactly by being on UC ? He was obviously assessed and awarded it based on his needs /income

@countrybumpkunt he is NOT declaring any earnings, he's not declaring so he gets the full UC award.
I know exactly how much he earns and what his housing costs are
560.00 rent - he gets 511.00 from UC towards his rent
394 single person allowance from UC
He is on a day rate of 175.00 per day, 175x 5 = 875 - 20% CIS tax = 700 a WEEK tax home.
He does the occasional Saturday which is paid at time and half so can earn close to 3k a month and that's without the UC top up.
He's not doing it to survive, he's doing it because he can.
I know all this information because I was the idiot who helped set him up with UC back in August when he was out of work, when he went back to work in October he told me he told them he was back to work, he hasn't told them anything.
I know people can work and claim UC I do so myself, for every pound I earn they take 0.55 from me, so my deductions are 638.00 a month I do not get my full award, my rent is 1450 plus I have a 4 year old with nursery costs.
This man is taking close to 4k a month combined, not telling UC he's working, not declaring any earnings (CSA told me this as they can see his UC award) and not paying for his child. This is what is he doing wrong.
What would you do in this situation, because CSA will not collect the right amount from him because he is claiming UC so I had no choice to report him, not only that CSA said "they will catch up with him, especially when he does his tax return in April"
I can give you his number, he's at work right now earning money while the tax payer is paying his rent and topping up his income.

How do you know that level of financial information about your Ex short of hacking his bank account!

Can you contact his parents and say you're really struggling and would they be in a position to help - hopefully they would give him a kick up the arse and shame him in to supporting his child?

I would not have reported him personally. However, he is in tge wrong defrauding money out if the benefit system. Unfortunately, it's come back to bite you in the firm of £7 per week/month maintenance payments.

Not sure there is much you can do about it to be honest, apart from wait it out and tell him he's an arsehole!

@countrybumpkunt yes he was assessed when he genuinely wasn't working between August and October last year. He is also claiming council tax through UC so he's not paying that either.
He lives in a studio flat (council, lied to get that as well) in London, works 15 mins walk away from his home.
When I asked him about it all his response was
" I'm doing it to get my rent paid so I can get back on top"
Then preceded to bombard me with calls and "lovey dovey" text messages begging me not to report him and he'll start to pay me again beginning of February.
I asked him if he was going to pay me extra to make up for the missed payments in December and January, he said "no"
I had no choice, this is only going to get worse.
I'm not the bitter ex, I've moved on myself and I can't deal with him so we speak through my brother although he refuses to reply back to him at times and only wants to deal with me "direct"
It's just a nightmare situation.

I wouldn’t report someone normally but I think OP did the right thing. She relies on his maintenance whilst doing the lion’s share of parenting, she reported him to give herself and her son financial security. You can’t feed a child less or stop heating your home because their dad’s chosen not to pay maintenance that month.

The whole situation wouldn’t have come about if he’d only claimed benefits he’s entitled to and had paid maintenance like he should. He made a choice to leave them going without over Xmas and the consequence is CSA has got involved and it’s become clear he’s fraudulently claiming when he’s not entitled.

He's cheating op out of money she needs. Why shouldn't she report him!!

Op I am so sorry the system is totally unfair

If he really is working, claiming and not declaring his earnings, of course he needs reporting regardless of the CMS aspect. What a cheeky sod.

I wouldn’t have reported him

I would have hung it over his head that if he didn’t pay I would report him

@WellsAndThistles I know all this information because

1. I set him up for UC back in August, he came to me with his tail between his legs when his latest squeeze dumped him. He was out of work and had no money to pay his rent and didn't have a clue on how to set anything up, so I helped him. I saw his tenancy agreement, council tax statement EVERYTHING
2. When he went back to work in October he told me how much he earns, I was with his man for 6 years so I also know how his pay is calculated as I used to help him with tax returns etc. He was paying me between October and beginning of December.

No I can't contact his parents, I don't have a great relationship with his mother and he doesn't speak to his dad, besides his dad is also subletting his own council flat and living with his new partner in Kent somewhere by the coast. Again I know this as my ex told me years ago, he's been doing it for years so I don't think he would care if he knew.

My ex did the same I ended up with the £7 a week for two children while he told everyone he was paying me hundreds of pounds a week I was scrubbing toilets to keep a roof over the kids head if he had been paying me hundreds I could have dropped a few nasty clients and found better it was a horrendous time he now has a paye job and child maintenance have got a deduction of earnings order because he still didn't want to pay

@Snapncrackle I've let him off multiple times when he hasn't paid, I've not reported him to CSA in the past due to him "promising to pay me extra" and then not following through.
I've just had enough, he had the audacity to ask me for money 2 weeks ago.

@Theunamedcat this is what I know he is doing, telling people he's paying me and I'm a "bitch" which is far from the truth.
That's the way we are heading I think, I don't have a choice.

Hi @Mummaonherown did you get anywhere with this? I am in the same position. Ex is claiming UC but has a large income which I am aware of but DWP are not. I told CMS of this and they rejected my variation multiple times. Last time I spoke to someone decent who told me that they get my situation, they see that my evidence is convincing but CMS just do not do anything while a UC claim is active and my only option is to report benefit fraud. I've decided not to even bother though. They tell me that any variation will not be dated from the date I requested it but the date the UC stopped.

This. I can't believe people are defending this bloody fraudster. Meanwhile Labour are targeting disabled people to 'save billions'. Men like your ex are the problem in this country.

Crazy work to say she shouldn't report him.... Misogyny at its finest. He's stealing money from their son, leaving her to carry the can while he opts out, he's defrauding the government and taking the tax payer for a ride and people are still saying he's trying his best, leave him alone... Makes no sense. Those that have commented in the is vein, seriously need to do some reflection on why they feel he's in the right to do this...

OP, keep records, report him and know you are in the right to do so. Wishing you well.

@TheRoseQuoter no sadly he's still claiming UC, I spoke to them on Friday and he was paid on 1st March, single person allowance and money towards his rent. I reported him back in January, I felt I had no choice.
Meanwhile he's working earning his 185 day rate as a bricklayer since December I've had £180 from him, all depends if he wants to give me money or not.
CMS told me the same, they won't backdate any payments even though he was committing fraud, seems madness to me if he is caught he'd be made to pay the government back money but not for his son.

I'm sorry, it's a really unfair system wishing you all the best!

The DWP can be a bit useless - OK if they got that good it would be an improvement.

I presume he's not paid via PAYE, if he IS they have a track record of ignoring details of earnings anyway even when they come up on their 'feed' from the PAYE system and their Investigations are more Inspector Clouseau than Sherlock Holmes

No he's not paid via PAYE it's CIS however that is rolled out, but the money goes straight into his bank account, he's not the smartest in the world clearly.
I found out a few days ago, that his latest gf of 4.5 months has 3 children, all under the age of 10 if he moves in with her, would he be responsible for paying for her children?
He's a lowlife and I wouldn't put anything past him to not pay for his son.

Update:

I found a very old post on here about a woman who wrote to her MP about her ex not paying child support. The MP got involved and helped to resolve her case.
I spoke with my MPs secretary and, my MP is minister for children and families so this is a case she is happy to take on.
I'm not expecting miracles here, but at least I will have some added backing

My ex promises money every week, it never comes.
He's currently out for his birthday weekend with his gf and her 3 children.
I have no words for him, meanwhile I haven't been able to pay council tax again and I'm in debt.

I feel for anyone going through this.

I'm sorry OP. What a tool he is. I hope your MP can help.

My ex claimed for his gf’s child. His ‘discount’ for this one child was more than the maintenance calculated for his own two children.

To make matters worse, the gf’s arrangement was 50/50 shared care with this child’s father. Her ex even contacted the CSM in support of me, explaining their shared care, but because she was the parent in receipt of child benefit it made no difference.

In practice the other child had a dad working full-time ( earning £90,000), a mum and my ex, earning a combined (£125,000) all supporting him. My two children had me working (earning £20,000) and my ex paying less than their dinner money cost per month (£220 for both children), based on his care of 3 nights per fortnight.

Ridiculous.

I don't understand why these men are so wicked to their own biological children 💔. I'm going through it too

@femfemlicious it's a last dig at the mother, but our children suffer.

He told me on Thursday that he's come off of benefits so I'm currently on hold to CMS as they will get a notification, I reckon he's lying but soon find out.