CSA - pay until they are 20 - official

[WkdSM]

As of the 10th December if you pay CSA you are now liable until the 'child' reaches their 20th birthday rather than their 19th birthday, dependent on their being in full time education etc.
So they can join the army, get married, be tried as an adult in court, be declared bankrupt - but still considered a child and not responsible for themselves by the CSA.

An I right in thinking that currently if a child continues in further education after their 18th birthday (which a lot will do as a levels finish in June time and the student may have turned 18 in the Sept before) that maintenance and child benefit continue to the end of August and then it stops assuming they then leave further education and get a job, travel or take a gap year.

At the moment, the CSA payments stop on the DCs 19th birthday even if they are still in further education for 12hours or more a week.

But if they've finished further education before they're 19, am I right in thinking it stops at the end of the term in which they finish?

The way I read it is that it stops ON their 19th birthday - perhaps call the CSA and ask?

If they're at school or 6th form college and leave at 18, then CSA stops on the first Monday of the following sept (assuming they are then working, at uni). So if they turn 18 in Feb, leave school in June, then CSA stops at the beginning of sept.

It only continues at that pint if they don't do either of those things but do 'further education'

I think you're right redhen - it's only those who remain in further education between their 19th and 20th birthdays who'll be affected by the change.

Once they're 18 and have got a job, gone to university or are claiming benefits they are treated as an independent adult, and any support from the parents is voluntary and can be paid direct to the child.

I do not agree with it being extended to university. Not every parent can afford to support their children through university. I had to work while at uni and fund myself with that and loans as my parents couldn't afford to help me out financially. (They did in other ways)

Making CSA payable through university could mean that some children are funded through university by a non resident parent because they are forced to ... but the Resident Parent may not give them any money themselves if they cannot afford it.

It also means in some families, non resident children are funded through university but children who resided with the non resident parent are not because the parent cannot afford it.

Not all parents can fund university.

I don't think there's any proposal to extend it to university/higher education - there's no obligation for parents to support their DCs at the moment, and it would create a very decisive system if a parent is legally required to support a DC through higher education ONLY if they are separated from the DCs other parent!

This is the first step to align CM with the increase in 'school leaving' age. This year, 16 year olds who leave school have to, for the first time, continue in some form of education for at least 12 months. Eventually, all 16 year olds will be required to stay in education (of some form) for another 2 years.

As someone pointed out to me on another thread, technically the government isn't increasing the school leaving age, just expecting kids to be in some sort of training even if they're working or doing voluntary work, hence there will be no free school transport.

So what will be classes as "education" I'm not sure, for child benefit/maintenance purposes.