Child maintenance

[Dadoff2]

I'm another decent dad that is getting done over by cms and struggling to keep the house that my children live in when they come stay with me.

Today I woke to see on my wage slip that 567 pound has come out of my wage before it its my bank tomorrow without being informed of it or nothing.

I called them and they are no help at all.

My kids stay with me more than how they work the 1 night or 1- 2 nights a week system .

I work shift pattern of 6 on 3 off they stay the first 2 nights and sometimes the 3rd night depending if im on shipping the next morning or if im on night shift. ( court order does not state that extra night when it happens) and ex partner won't say that's the case.
They also stay 12 days in Easter and about 20+ days in the summer and their birthday nights etc .

What I'm trying to say is they stay alot more than what she's telling csa.

Today I have been upset and I've tried my hardest to make csa and my ex realise that I won't be able to cope and I'm worried that my mental health will be effected and me as my children's dad won't be the dad I have been and it worries and scares me cause I love them 2 kids of mine with all my heart.

I know there are dads like me some not as strong and I can see why but I need support and the government need to help paying dads who see their children.

https://chng.it/fxNyT7HXzg please sign this petition and send to all single dads who struggle seeing and paying their child maintenance.

The nights are based on over a year not a week so surely you can dispute this being set at 1 or 1-2? Do you have any evidence to support this eg. Messages arranging dates you have them etc, if so forward to CMS.

I won't be signing your petition I'm afraid as in my experience it's the RP that generally suffer under CMS not the NRP. Also your petition assumes the NRP is male, this isn't always the case and I know of a case where they are female and equally trying to shaft the male RP.

I do agree that the CMS needs reforming though and it causes huge stress to parents, who are often already in conflict. If they can accurately obtain people's monthly earnings for Universal Credit or HMRC purposes it's high time they used a similar system to calculate CMS.

Yea I'm sorry I just wanted to put it out there for mum's and dad's that see their children regularly and having csa work out payments in a fair way after everything taken into account not pay before tax its just crazy.

Pay after pension though. Plenty of paying parents make use of this to reduce maintenance payments.
Your point about cost of living applies both ways too. Maintenance payments aren't increasing to COL rate, same as most wages, yet RP are expected to feed, clothe, pay the mortgage/rent, bills same as NRP.
I do think there are cases both sides where it is unfair, but you aren't being asked to pay anything that isn't based on your income.

How old are they?
That would be half of a monthly nursery bill. Without a single other bill.

Yup.
Do you also pay towards their clothes and pay for their clubs and holidays and devices?

Do people really think a father should be absolutely destitute? If he’s having them 3 nights a week he also needs to pay for a roof over their heads, not to mention his own. Dads can’t win - if he can’t accommodate them because he has to live in a house share and pay the RP all his money he’ll be criticised for not having a big enough house, if he has a big enough house he’s criticised still.

Goady post as you’re posting on a predominantly female site?

I never got CM never wanted it.
I couldent see the point in chasing a man for money when he didnt want to be a dad.
Chasing him for money i would have felt like i was chasing him.
Being a dad means more than money.
What my children have i have got it for them.
I never stopped him from being in their lifes he choose not to be i was not gonna chase him for pitty pay money.

Could I ask, did you get given a choice when it came to collect and pay? Did you have the option of transferring straight to her or did they make you do collect and pay from her application?