http://www.csahell.com/forums/ CSA advice forum: Recent Posts en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:45:22 +0000 http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/csa-30-a-way-forward#post-560 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:05:20 +0000 GBR303 560@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Hi guys,</p> <p>This CSA thing really isn't working!!!</p> <p>Really, Not, Working.</p> <p>For either parent.</p> <p>I have some ideas on how we can change things, but I can't do it on my own. It's just too big.</p> <p>I am setting up a group, an organisation, where were going try to find out a way in which this will work.</p> <p>We need lots of skills from writing government proposals, to web design and IT guys, through to PR people, lawyers and accountants.</p> <p>If you think you can help please email <a href="mailto:csathree.zero@gmail.com">csathree.zero@gmail.com</a> or join the CSA 3.0 facebook group.</p> <p>Hope to hear from you soon.</p> <p>Rob</p> <p>P.S. This is for either parent, we need to find a way forward that benefits us all. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/protected-earnings-what-a-load-of-crap#post-559 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:16:38 +0000 prohonesty2010 559@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>max they can take is 40% of your net weekly income. end of </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/parent-with-care-is-overseas#post-558 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:09:17 +0000 prohonesty2010 558@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>if you are not living in the uk you are not entitled to use the child support agency. do the right thing and call them and close the case. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/help-please-2#post-557 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:05:07 +0000 prohonesty2010 557@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>they wont pay for a test or arrange one for you under these circumstances unless you get your mp involved and even then they may still refuse- best bet is contact cellmark ( dna testing company) they are the ones the agency use- get a dna test done yourself and find out one way or the other- if you are not in touch with the mother anymore then you will just have to start complaints process, appeal, get your mp involved etc. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/feel-trapped-and-need-help#post-556 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:01:23 +0000 prohonesty2010 556@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>sorry but a little of the info you have been given is incorrect but it actually works out better for you :)<br /> if she has made an application or is about to... it will not be backdated to when she made the application it will start from the day the agency make contact with you to tell you there is an application- they will either phone you or send you out a form. if you are not on the birth certificate, havent adopted the child or werent married to her from date of conception to date of the birth then you can say you dont think you are the father and they will offer you a dna test- u can opt for the agency to pay for it- if you are the father you will be asked to pay it back ( u can do this in installments) but it does cost slightly more than if u offer to pay it up front. either way if you are not the father u will either get the money back you paid for the test or not have to pay it back if the agency paid for it- the only thing to be wary of is you agree to a dna test and then dont turn up for your appointments for the test or ignore letters etc , they can then legally presume you are the father. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/contact-details#post-555 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:55:36 +0000 prohonesty2010 555@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>get onto your mp if you havent already. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/will-the-csa-tell-me-when-my-payments-stop#post-554 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:54:52 +0000 prohonesty2010 554@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>yep totally agree with above- u must notify them- if she stays in full time education then it will be payable until shes 19- but the date it actually stops can depend on which term she finishes education and when child benefit stops- best bet is to phone and request this info is checked on a regular basis if you dont think your ex will disclose it </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/contacting-employer-038-chaning-offices#post-553 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:52:09 +0000 prohonesty2010 553@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>sorry not the above post incorrect- the one above that </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/contacting-employer-038-chaning-offices#post-552 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:51:33 +0000 prohonesty2010 552@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>basically the above answer is incorrect- no THEY CANNOT set up a deductions from earnings without making initial contact- and they dont. if they cant make initial contact via phone they will issue a form- which HAS TO BE received in the office within 7 days- 7 days not 7 working days- the date it needs to be IN the office will be on the letter- if it is not back by that day then they will automatically go to your employer and request wage information- once they have that they will again try and reach you by phone and if they cant they will issue your calculation letters and then another letter saying you must provide a method to pay again within 7 days - then if they dont receive that back or a phone call providing direct debit details etc- ONLY then will they set up a deduction from earnings. There are obviously instances where the addresses held can be old ones, or clerical forms can get lost in the post, but your best bet if you get anything from the csa is to phone and provide all the info over the phone- that way its done </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/should-i-tell-them#post-551 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:44:40 +0000 prohonesty2010 551@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>yep thats correct. basically the only way they can investigate that is if they are notified of it- usually by the other party. by law the only thing you HAVE to declare is a change of address.<br /> but in short, if you got another job, or you get a pay rise etc it would only be looked at if it is requested by the other party in the case- and even then it would only be looked at from the date they were notified of the change ( not when you actually started the new job/ got pay rise)<br /> hope that helps you </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/should-i-tell-them#post-550 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:56:20 +0000 ProDelgado 550@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>At the minute, the only way they'd know about your second job would be if either you or your ex told them...if they get told where your other job is then they'll investigate your circumstances, and if they have no luck then they will contact Inland Revenue, who will tell them which company (or companies) make tax and NI contributions in your name. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/on-call-payments-it-worker#post-549 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:53:56 +0000 ProDelgado 549@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Are you self-employed, or employed? How often are you paid, monthly? The CSA will probably take an average of your income from the two months prior to your case being set up.</p> <p>You should really give them information about any of your income earned, they'll discuss any discrepancies with you, and may contact your employer to confirm any higher or lower payslips, but if you're up front with them you could also say that it's not guaranteed, and then if you stop getting on-call work then you need to call them as soon as it happens for them to reassess you. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/should-i-tell-them#post-548 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:44:24 +0000 jaynechunk13 548@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>During a recent assessment,my caseworker advised me to quit a second job i have in an effort to reduce the amount i had to pay each month.I ditched the second job only to find the difference was minimal.I now find im going to be in financial hell if i cannot get more income coming in.If i resume the second job will the csa find out about it,or do they only know what we tell them about.This second job involves tax and national insurance on a payslip. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/on-call-payments-it-worker#post-547 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:40:39 +0000 lolalola1234 547@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>hi guys</p> <p>am in the process of sorting my csa payments out. im just wondering, i do on call, which nets me a total of 200 pound after tax for 1 weeks on call. i usually an on call week once a month. it is not a permanent fixture though, i may miss out on it. and obviously, i do not want the csa to take into account my on call payments which aren't fixed.</p> <p>do i need to declare this? if so how do i go about to get my best interets? </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/ex-self-employed-non-payment#post-546 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:16:02 +0000 ProDelgado 546@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Self-employed cases are the worst possible, next time you speak to the CSA tell them that you would like to speak to someone with regards to putting in a claim for variations, as the NRP's lifestyle is inconsistent with his alleged income. They will hopefully investigate things further for you. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/contacting-employer-038-chaning-offices#post-545 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:11:19 +0000 ProDelgado 545@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>It's down to their computer systems, your case will first sit with a New Client Team, until the initial assessment has been carried out...after that, it will go to a Client Services team, who are generally responsible for the area where the NRP lives.</p> <p>Best thing to do is work out roughly what 15% of your income is, and set it aside every week until the assessment is all made official. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/will-the-csa-tell-me-when-my-payments-stop#post-544 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:09:30 +0000 ProDelgado 544@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>It all depends what your daughter's circumstances are, if she remains in certain types of education then you may have to continue paying up until her 19th birthday. The CSA will only assess or reassess based on you contacting them, so if I was you I would call them now and say you're not sure if your daughter is in education or if she has left school...if she leaves school at any point after 16 then the case should close. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/parent-with-care-is-overseas#post-543 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:07:35 +0000 ProDelgado 543@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>(I think the board ate my answer).</p> <p>How long are you going to be living in Egypt, do you intend to stay there permanently? It's a bit of a grey area, technically the CSA can only deal with cases where the clients are habitually resident in the UK, they don't have jurisdiction elsewhere, so if you have moved to Egypt and are going to live there forever then there's a good chance that the CSA will close the case. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/future-gross-income-scheme-what-is-gross-income#post-542 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:03:51 +0000 ProDelgado 542@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Unfortunately they've still not announced any information about this future scheme, so no-one knows how the maintenance calculation will be worked out yet. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/change-of-income#post-541 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:00:19 +0000 ProDelgado 541@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>They can't - they should have started a change of circumstances as soon as you called them, and will contact your employer, who can confirm that you have left them. You may have to provide proof that you are going to Uni, an enrolment letter or something like that. If they tell you that you have to pay for 20 weeks then call back and hopefully you'll get through to someone who knows their job, as the person who advised you that obviously didn't. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/will-csa-know-if-i-have-part-time-job#post-540 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:33:11 +0000 Average Joe 540@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>At the end of the tax year then yes. However, the CSA would likely very quickly find you through any NI, which you don't pay. As for tax, I'm not sure what information is recorded and so how soon they could find out off them. Do you not even want to pay the 5 pounds per week for your child?</p> <p>Did you tell the Job Centre where you are starting work? If so, the CSA will find out off them if they want to.</p> <p>Regards </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/contact-details#post-539 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:56:37 +0000 tango 539@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>does anyone know the email address for stephen geraghty (csa chief exec)? all my letters/phone calls are being ignored!</p> <p>please help! </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/housing-allowance-nrp#post-538 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:57:19 +0000 cjp0349 538@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Can anyone out there give me an answer to this before I get into another endless round of unanswered letters. I have recently moved home to a house that although I am joint owner of and pay all the council tax and utility bills I am not on the mortgage because I still own and pay the mortgage on my previous home which is currently empty and up for sale. I have informed the CSA of this and other changes in circumstances which has resulted in them reassessing me as having no housing costs whatsoever and bunging up my payments accordingly.<br /> Is this right and if so how do I "get around this" so that I can claim at least some allowance on my new home to help soften the blow until my old house sells and I can get on the mortgage at my new address.<br /> Any advice will be greatfully received. I've been going through the nightmare of being an easy target NRP for over 14 years, it just gets worse and often feels that there is just nothing you can do about It. Hopefully I'll find some help here.<br /> Regards<br /> Carl </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/arrears-reinstated#post-537 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:30:17 +0000 tom1sg 537@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Received a threatening letter from the CSA a few days ago. This was out of the blue as l had made all payments due to my daughter, who is now 29 years old. They are now saying that i owe them £1690.81 in missed child maintenance payments and need to pay what l owe now and threatening to take me to court. They also ask that l pay by credid/debit card over the phone. </p> <p>There saying that this money is owed over a period going back to 1993- 1994. They claim that at the time this so called arrear was not collectsable at the time, however they have now decided that l must pay this amount. I have paid my Ex wife all the maintenance that was required of me without any trouble. In fact it was my Ex who contacted me to inform me that she had a letter from the CSA explaining that l owed this amount, she was disgusted and contacted me straight away stating that she would not be contacting the CSA asking for this money. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/feel-trapped-and-need-help#post-536 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:59:00 +0000 Nicolai 536@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Indeego has already given you great advice - don't panic!!</p> <p>The CSA will ask if you think you are the father, you say no, then they will offer you a DNA test and ask if you would be prepared to pay for it - say yes to both of these questions, get yourself to you local doctors and give a DNA sample - you may not be the father.</p> <p>Try to look at the situation a little differently too - you say you have missed the opportunity to have the child aborted/adopted... In reality, you never had these options in the first place, as the child was inside another person, and she has a mind of her own - she clearly didn't want to get rid of the child did she?</p> <p>Finally, if you are the father, stop this selfish talk of topping yourself, man up, treat it like one of lifes happy accidents, and become involved in your child's life - it may be the greatest mistake you ever made! And so what if you have to pay for your child, you should wear that as a badge of honour that you are able to love and support your child, giving it the best possible chance in life! </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/help-please-2#post-535 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:44:43 +0000 Nicolai 535@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Hi Mallyman,</p> <p>I'm afraid this isn't going to be good news for you, however it needn't be terrible, you just have to understand what may happen..</p> <p>First of all, if you are not sure the child is yours, you are going to need a DNA test, find out which office your case is at, then call and write to that office pointing out that you asked for a DNA test in the first instance, and you have moved address and not recieved the letters they sent (They will say you should of told them you were moving) This is not going to be easy, so you need to write to them and also send copies to the Chief Exec of the CSA, and the complaints department, showing that you mean business. </p> <p>If the CSA still refuse to give you the DNA test as it has been 5 years since the case began, you need to speak to the mother and arrange it between yourselves, and pay for it yourself (About £300 as it needs to be with a company the CSA recognise, ie: Cellmark). Hopefully you can get your ex partner to agree to this.</p> <p>One final thing, if you are the father, you are going to have arrears back-dated to 2005, and that will be a whole different kettle of fish.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/new-job-after-being-on-jsa#post-534 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:21:39 +0000 Nicolai 534@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Just to add to the good advice from Indeego, as your partner is on a low wage, your maintenance payments will not be worked out on the basic 15%, 20%, 25% system. They will used what is called a reduced rate calculator. They do not disclose this as it is much more complicated and only confuses matters, but it will mean you will probably pay less that £20 per week. </p> <p>They will back date this to when your partner informed them he had started work, so you have done well to put away the money, because they will ask for it! It will not go back to the time he was on JSA.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/csa-issue#post-533 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:12:54 +0000 Nicolai 533@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Hi there,</p> <p>I'm not sure the average person on the street can just find out if someone has been adopted or not. The best thing to do is say to the CSA that you think the child has been legally adopted by the woman's new husband, and they will investigate further. If the child has been legally adopted, your friend will not have to pay, as he is no longer considered the legal father.</p> <p>However.. It is unlikely that he has adopted the child, what is much more likely is that they have married and the child has simply taken his name. In this case your friend will have to pay for the child, regardless of wether he sees the child or not. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/what-to-expect#post-532 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:00:08 +0000 Indeego 532@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Okay this is all quite simple really. Given your current situation and not changing anything that is currently in place with the standing order you will be paying for the 1 child through CSA at 15% of net after the child that lives with you is taken into account which means they will not use 15% (rising to 20% on birth of your new child as there will be 2 children living in your household) of your net as part of the calculation. So CSA will calculate based upon £295.80 per week of your income, payment to the one child will be at 15% of £295 = £44.37 per week with that child staying no nights.<br /> Other payments made out side of CSA will not come into the equation, nor will any other child being paid for be brought into the count. Essentially making this a simple one child calculation.<br /> Also the payments will be from the day the claim has been made, not since the child was born, so there will not be 10 years of back pay.<br /> You can continue with paying the one through CSA and the other two standing order.</p> <p>On the other hand you can pay all 3 through CSA (not sure if the mother of the other 2 has to make the claim or if you can put in for payment, bearing in mind that in this case the mother will be getting less, as explained below) which will work out currently at 25% of your net after the 15% is removed so in total for all 3 you will pay 25% of £295 = £73.75 per week (this is the top end figure and would be reduced with the number of nights having the 2 children, which is slightly more complex as it is not all children staying so CSA will advise on that). This will go to the CSA and they will pay your first child at 1/3 of this ie. £24.58 per week and the other two at £49.16 per week (although reduced due to the number of nights they stay with you).</p> <p>I hope that goes someway to clarifying your situation and please bear in mind these are projected figures and not 100% accurate, but to give a good idea of your position. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/what-to-expect#post-531 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:21:23 +0000 jango 531@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>hi folks, get comfy... make a brew...</p> <p>right here is my situation ... i have a child who is 10 with a girl who was a one stand, she wanted nothing from me and i didnt want to know at the time.... i then met someone and settled down and had 2 children with her... that relationship ended after her unfaithfullness after 7 years... i am now with my present partner and she is due to give birth to my fourth child in 2 weeks time , she also has another child from a previous marriage that lives with us who is autistic.... now i currently have my 2 children from my previous relationship stay with me at least twice a week and they also stay with my mum once or twice a week (still in the care of my family not hers)... we have an agreement between us in that i pay her £250 per month for the kids (which is half of the rent on her house so the kids have somewhere to stay)... this is done via a standing order and is completely traceable... now today i have found out that the mother of my first child has now decided to contact the csa after finding out i have another child on the way.... i have not had contact with my first child regularly for basically 10 years, she never wanted anything from me and was happy that i wasnt in his life ... but she did contact the csa when he was born when things were really bad between us...</p> <p>so basically what im looking for is how much im looking at paying ?<br /> 10 years worth of backpay?<br /> and what will i pay for normal payments based upon my circumstances with a £348 a week wage after tax etc.<br /> will my other children be taken into account and will i have to pay for them through the csa aswell now they are involved, even if we have a traceable agreement ?</p> <p>i know this all sounds like something from the jeremy kyle show... but its all real life... iv never been on benifits or anything like that and always worked and paved my own way... just that things are already really tight financially and i just want to see what im gonna be looking at.</p> <p>iv tried the csa's online calculator thing but it doesnt give enough options to cover my situation</p> <p>thanks for any help and advice in advance </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/csa-issue#post-530 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:23:10 +0000 shelbygt 530@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>A friend of mine is going through this situation,Ive tried googling information about it but have come up with nothing.</p> <p>Basically, my friend got someone pregnant about 8 years ago,the mother of the child said she wanting nothing to do with him and refused to let him see his child. Cut off all contact with him. Now fastforward to a few months ago, she comes back into the picture stating she now wants him to pay her CSA but is still refusing to let him see the child. however, there is reason to believe that her new husband has adopted the child since the child is now going by her husbands surname. In the UK, if the birth father has no parental rights or doesnt see the child,the mother does not need to get permission from him for the child to be adopted by the new husband.<br /> I've been trying to google records to see if the child was adopted but cant find anything. Does anyone know how my friend can obtain these records?<br /> The CSA keeps harassing him,he feels he should not have to pay CSA for a child that he isnt allowed to see and a child that is possibly adopted by another man. Anyone know where he stands on this? </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/helpnew-to-csa-2-kids-2-mothers#post-529 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:09:39 +0000 Indeego 529@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Easiest and cheapest way is to go through the CSA for both. Basically for 2 kids you will pay 20% of net = £68 and the CSA will split that evenly between the two kids so each will get £34. If you pay one by private agreement and one with CSA, the CSA will not count the amount you pay by private agreement, so you will be paying say £30 to one parent and then will be charged 15% of net for the one other child = £51, which is a total of £81. Also the amount with CSA may be reduced if you have the children overnight, but that depends on how often.<br /> Her income from benefits will not be considered in any of this, nor will it be affected. On another note if she is working cash in hand that is tax evasion and benefit fraud no matter what goes on with the CSA and maintenance payments.<br /> Providing you are honest with the CSA and give them all the details they should come back with the weekly amount and if you are paying regular as required you should not have any hassle with them. The horror stories you hear are when they start to mis calculate (which happens a lot) and rack up arrears.<br /> Best of luck. </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/helpnew-to-csa-2-kids-2-mothers#post-528 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:40:54 +0000 tels 528@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Another thing also.She doesnt really work and is on benefits and basically milks the system and im wondering if her income comes into it ? as i know she works every weekend for cash in hand and i dont wanna bring that up but if she is gonna screw me then it may be my only option </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/helpnew-to-csa-2-kids-2-mothers#post-527 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:36:45 +0000 tels 527@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>Hi,i have a 6 year old son to an old partner who i have payed £50 per week without fail every week since he was born.I have just split from my last partner and we have a child who is 3 and because she knows i was paying my ex £50 per week sh has demanded that too,which i have been paying for the last 6 weeks.But i am looking for a new place to live and just cant afford to pay £100 per week eg £400 per month for both these kids.<br /> So i told them i was going to have to put the money down to £30 a week at least until i get myself back on my feet.My last partner actually agreed to this and understands my situation.However GROTBAGS my 1st partner is having none of it and has the CSA onto me.I am on £340 a week net pay and im wondering how much i will be deducted and if its better to have one with a private agreement or both go through the CSA ??? As i need to do the cheapest option,i dunno maybe someone is on the same boat as me and can help as im getting really really stressed as all i seem to hear is horror stories about the CSA.<br /> Any help would be of great help to me </p> http://www.csahell.com/forums/topic/will-csa-know-if-i-have-part-time-job#post-526 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:15:03 +0000 madman99 526@http://www.csahell.com/forums/ <p>After 2 yrs of hell on the dole i have finally landed a small part time job that pays 100 quid a week. Hooray!!<br /> Anyhow,because i was a self employed roofer before hand i wasnt entitled to JSA (bastard gov) so my girlfriend has supported me through all this hell.</p> <p>Anyhoo.....the main point is....now i earn 100 quid a week will i show up on the CSA radar? because my earnings are so low i dont pay any income tax of national insurance.....so any info would be greatly apprieciated. </p>