CSA intend to deduct payments from gross pay

June 11, 2010

Hello, this is more of a question than my experience of the ‘system’, which I have had to fight, and pay, to secure access in court and so on.

However, having been made to pay the maximum contribution on child maintenance from April (as opposed to an affordable amount), I have read with much horror the intention to take payments at Gross pay not net. As I will also fall into the higher pay bracket at Gross I will be deducted at a rate of 28% from Gross, paying my ex-wife some £1,160 per month, leaving me with around £120 per week.

Yet my ex-wife chose to leave her employment and has her own business – i.e. assets and needs are not taken into account.

How can this be, and how can we stop this from happening from April 2011? I have’nt slept properly for the last two nights once I had read this.

Comments

  • Brokenfather says:

    There shouldnt be much difference between the net and gross CM assessments. There is a lower level when gross pay is taxed at 40% (and presumably the new 50% tax bracket).

    As far as I am aware you will end up paying more if you have a company car which you were taxed on and/or are making pension contributions.

  • Brokenfather says:

    Oh, and it shouldnt kick in for current cases until 2013/14

  • david pilkington says:

    Hello again,

    Thank you for your reply. Are you sure? As if I was (I know this is all theoretical at the moment, but not for long!), how can there not be ‘much difference’…if you are paying (in theory) 20% of net, to an increased 28% of gross, then I calculate that just about doubles what one is ‘expected’ to pay.

    I did ring the CSA (or whatever they are called now), and they couldnt give me a straight answer… are there people out there that are able to give you qualified advice?

    Like most people on this site, I am all in favour of paying, but something that is fair/equitable/affordable etc…

    Thanks again!

  • Brokenfather says:

    There is no 28% rate which is where you are going wrong!!!

    This is what is happening …

    (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the basic rate is the following percentage of the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income—

    12% where the non-resident parent has one qualifying child;
    16% where the non-resident parent has two qualifying children;
    19% where the non-resident parent has three or more qualifying children.

    (2) If the gross weekly income of the non-resident parent exceeds £800, the basic rate is the aggregate of the amount found by applying sub-paragraph (1) in relation to the first £800 of that income and the following percentage of the remainder—

    9% where the non-resident parent has one qualifying child;
    12% where the non-resident parent has two qualifying children;
    15% where the non-resident parent has three or more qualifying children.

  • ANDREW FRASER says:

    is it true that if you earn under £212 a week the csa cant touch you

  • david pilkington says:

    I don’t know mate, all I have done is write to my MP and the new head of the new ‘Commision of Child Enforcement’ and had nothing but platitudes…there has been a good bit of news this last week on Louis de Berniers – a rather well off chap who wrote Captain Corelli’s Mandelin as how this has affected him, and just goes to show that if you are rich then the establishment might listen!

  • rob says:

    i pay csa direct through my wages was paying six hundred pound now 470 but i get taxed on that money in my wages even though it is going back to the goverment should it be deducted before i get taxed

  • dennie says:

    well the csa go into your tax records although going into your tax records without your written pemission is against the law they break all rules in the books.
    i got la letter now i only work part time netting myself takes home £80,46 the csa want to deduct £110 per week you work it out

  • Nick says:

    Well her’s a stonker…

    My ex (of 10 years) conned me into taking out a £25k loan in my own name to pay off some debt she had. Long story but we split up and I’m now forced to pay it off for the next 6 years!

    So I am paying £450 a month to get rid of this loan and the CSA won’t take that into account. They want £400 a month, rent £650, petrol £160, food, clothes, insurance, etc. I’m now looking into going insolvent. Go figure.

    What I’ve learnt is the more you pay to the government in taxes the less you get in return.

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