CMS found ex-partner’s undeclared income after years of no child maintenance

[littlebub11]

I split from my partner 2 years ago. It wasn’t an amicable split, he cheated and was evil and enjoyed rubbing my nose in it like it was me who did the dirty. He’s a narcissist!
We have 2 children together and even though he has always earned well, he would never help financially with the children.
I contacted the child maintenance service and for 2 years I was told he didn’t have to pay anything for his children as he was claiming benefits. ( he’s never been on benefits)
Yet he was still working for the same company that he’s been with for years and driving the same company van as well as owning his own home and income from a rental property.
He would happily smirk and say ‘they can’t touch me, I’m on benefits’
I asked the cms to look into his earnings, which they did and found out that for the last 2 years his income has been nearly 50k a year.
The cms are now recalculating and he’s not as ‘cocky’ as before.
Im awaiting the new calculation but have had hundreds of messages asking me to drop the claim as ‘this is what civil mothers do’ lol, he’s been anything but civil since the split.
He now wants to come to set up a private arrangement ( he doesn’t want to part with any cash) but has said that he can help with school uniforms or take one of the children out for meals occasionally to ‘help financially’ what a joke!
His lifestyle is has never reflected a ‘benefits ‘ income but now the cms have obtained his earnings from HMRC, he’s getting worried!
Has anyone been in this situation and what can I expect after them discovering his income! Surely they won’t come back with ‘zero to pay’. I don’t want to get my hopes up!

He would have them occasionally to plaster pics all over Facebook to look like a good dad. He only lives a street away from me. He’d also text to say, I’ll collect them from school today and bring them straight to me. Never took them home to feed them. This was for the benefit of other mums at the school to think he’s involved in their lives. He’s very calculating.

Insist on going through CMS from now on. No more off the books. I also hope you get back pay!

I don’t get how he can be on benefits yet earning thousands unless all cash and totally lying on tax return

I get £31 a month from ex dh so a£1 a day às what you get apparently when they are on benefits - he gets nearly £900 a month plus full rent paid of £600 ish

it’s really a joke

your ex is def fiddling and don’t drop the claim - don’t even speak about it. Just always say cms are sorting it

It totally baffles me too. He was definitely claiming some benefit as the cms had proof and he definitely wasn’t getting cash in hand as he works for a railway company and on PAYE. He’s gone quiet lately with his texts. Im assuming he’s either accepted it or he’s trying to get out of it in some way. Time will tell.

Ha ha, brilliant, that must be so satisfying, good for you. What a dick head.

And yes a £ a day is laughable but somehow he managed to evade paying that. It always came back that he has ‘zero to pay’ something is amiss somewhere, I just hope that the cms get to the bottom of it!

Wow so barely parenting! I would as best you can make a note of how much he has had them over the last few months just so you have an idea of the rough split should you need it (I have no clue what info is required).

Be interesting if this does make him actually parent a little but so sad he is that close and does that little.

If you really want to ramp up the action, there's a freephone number for hmrc to generically report tax fraud. That includes arsing about dishonesty with benefits.
It's the only hmrc number where someone picks up immediately, hehe.
They don't take your name.
They love a good vengeful dob.
They'll ask you what he looks like, what vehicle he drives, and they'll be put there watching him, literally, within a day or two.
Hmrc are a big beast, far bigger than any cm agency, so I'd go in all guns blazing if you want to teach him something.

You've done what you need to do, let the CMS now do their bit.

After the way he's behaved towards his children in the past I wouldn't even acknowledged his message, you don't need to, you pretty much know if you dropped the case he'd see it as win and go back to his old ways, he probably thinks they'll stop the investigation into him claming benefits while earning.

Civil fathers pay for their children. Do not buckle.

👏👏👏 Screw every penny you can out of the lying squirming little shit who was happy to see his children going without.

Hopefully he won't be prosecuted - because if he loses his job as a result of his behaviour there will be no money.

So resist any temptation to inform his employer of his behaviour, and ask CM people to be kind for the children's sake ...

But I'm a bad person, so I'd take meticulous and thoroughly detailed dated notes ... and the day the youngest passes the age of dependence, let them know exactly what he did and how it affected you, and the children's wellbeing. But that's just me. 😈

Don't forget to guard the child benefit. You ex might try to do a counter claim. My ex certainly threatened me with one. I just said I will take you to court if you don't clearly care for dc. I will install ring camera which will prove how many times the children are with me. If you try to leave ds1 alone overnight to work a night shift. I will report you to social services for neglect. Because he said he will claim for ds1 as he is easier to care for. I also reminded him how long he disappears for.

Let him build up contact first and show consistency. Don't say no directly over text with him seeing the kids. If it is inconvenient, say so. Offer alternatives. Be careful of your contact with your ex for now on. You don't want to be accused of parental alienation. Come and rant about him here or too freinds.

Ahahaha brilliant. Oh happy days! Oh oh happy days!

Tell him to swivel.

I’d be tempted to report him for suspected benefit fraud too. But wait till you’ve had your backdated payments from him.

”Help” pah “They’re your children you cockwamble!”

Don’t be persuaded to even talk with him. He’s a snake and he will bite you at the first opportunity, especially if you roll over and show him your belly.

Im surprised they havent taken money from his bank account unless he hasnt started paying yet of course.

I would tell him that if he bank transfers everything he owes, you will drop the CMS claim.
Then don't! Let the slimy fucker repay you and face a fraud investigation.

Do it for me and your kids, get CMS to screw him for every penny. My ex didnt pay one single penny for his son from 5 to 18. I had three different jobs.
He pissed off abroad to avoid it.
A private arrangement where he still doesnt pay for anything. He can get to fuck.

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I’m still having begging texts, saying I will get my karma for trying to ‘ruin him’ so I’m taking that as a threat. I’ve installed a ring doorbell for security and keeping all his texts as evidence. Still not heard anything from the cms, they seem to be taking forever. Will update with any news, be it good or bad!

He's getting desperate isn't he.

Well done OP, good thinking to up security. I hope you don't need it.

You need to report his messages and behaviour to the police as harassment. If he does anything - starts hiding money etc, then it will help you with forcing CMS to use their powers to find the money and get it. If you have a harassment report directly linked to CMS payments and how he doesn’t want to pay it and has threatened to do anything to stop it etc.

Make the report.

Tell him to stop sending the texts or you will go to the police. It’s harassment and it wrong. Give him permission to contact you only on seeing the children.

I'm so happy he's getting his comeuppance now. You're doing the right thing with a ring doorbell and keeping his texts. It's just a joke he thinks he can now demand to have the children four nights a week when he wasn't even giving them a meal before - he must think absolutely everyone is stupid.

This op. He is escalating. Get an evidence trail.

Does the Benefits department not link up with HMRC? I cannot understand how he could get benefits AND be working? Someone please explain this to me. I'm not talking about UC top ups here, if that's the right description, I'm talking say unemployment benefit or whatever he was claiming.