Biased CSA should take financial circumstances into account

May 11, 2016

I pay The Child Support Agency Maintenance for my children through the CSA. I am not one to complain although I feel now that the CSA have gone to far with a recent assessment.  I feel perplexed and anxious as I can not find a way to voice my opinion to someone who will listen and help me with my plight. The CSA state that if support is required to contact the CAB. The CAB have been advised by the CSA they are powerless to do anything.

From the beginning the CSA took 6 months to assess my case, I was unemployed by the time they got in touch with ,a demand letter for maintenance totaling £900 rather than a payment mandate.

In 2013 whilst earnings were low for me and my estranged wife we were deemed to be below the breadline and awarded tax credits. Whilst I was being assessed for the change in circumstances by the CSA I did not make regular maintenance payments. They assessed I should of still been paying maintenance at the same rate as before by this time I had accumulated a £2000 debt. My maintenance rose from £160 to £240 because of the accumulated debt . I rang the CSA and spoke with an adviser (dependent on what question  you ask to weather they are an adviser or a caseworker) to sort out a manageable payment amount which was agreed and by the end of the week, Aimee the CSA Accountant rang me and  demanded I pay £300 or she would put a detachment from earnings order in place.

An alleged case worker put a detachment from eaarnings order in place during a festive holiday because of a late payment of maintenance. If he had of been a case worker he would of seen from my file that I pay early every month.

Yet again during a time of financial difficulty my estranged wife had not been in work long when she fell critically ill and we were dependent on my wage and her statutory sick pay the CSA would not lower the maintenance payments.

I am being assessed on my wage including overtime where as before I was assessed on my basic wage. The Chief Executive on a BCC program stated he expected the parent paying maintenance should work overtime to cover payments. Now though i will be working overtime and the payments will become infinitive. The more I earn to try and pay the maintenance the more they are going to take. My monthly expenditure including maintenance is £1183.59 (Household Bills & Groceries, Student Loan (9% of access over £21,000 annual salary) Children (Transport & Clothing), Dentist (Regular Check-ups), Opticians (Check-ups & Glasses) Prescription (Ailments) Work wear (Not provided  Temp Worker), Barbers, Internet and Mobile  (When I Can Afford) Pension and Work Transport. My income is £1382.33 (overtime permitting) a month and basic pay without £1061.67.  I would move to a cheaper property if I could afford to do so. My estranged wife left me and i did not have the finances  to move on to somewhere cheaper. My maintenance payments are £287.75 a month)

I understand and am proud to support my children financially I work the overtime to live. A fairer assessment would be on surplus expenditure rather than 20% of earnings after stamp and tax. I can not help my financial situation this assessment will leave me homeless and probably without work as I need to get assessed on a basic week’s pay to getting maintenance reduced. My job requires me to work overtime. I am also not entitled to benefits on a basic wage. The children’s mother uses the CSA as a tool  to  undermine me to gain full access to the children the CSA then put the maintenance up to compensate for a fall in shared access without an appeal procedure and on the word of my ex wife. The CSA are biased in their approach.

Comments

  • tim says:

    Tough love required for the government i am sorry to say..The csa best weapon the DEO is also their biggest weakness.You yourself can stop the money at its source.Leave employment immediately or pack up and move to another country like i did.I want everyone to consider what would happen if everyone left work due to csa involvement.Imagine the financial cost across a wide spectrum of other business,imagine the pressure on the government from big business to close the csa or what ever its latest re branded incarnation is called these days..what are the government going to do stop everyone leaving ?or would they get rid of the csa and bring the whole process of child support back in to a court of law and deal with each case on a case by case basis?

  • john says:

    I have similar problem .but I have fool care of one and shared care for the other . they wont take into consideration having to pay the mortgage or that the x doesn’t supply clothes for my daughter when she does come down so I have to buy twice .I m now in a position that I can no longer afford to allow this to go forward and added a app to my mobile that records the phone calls and they blatantly said if the x was staying in the house and not me there would be a difference in payments why is this I’ve got our son fool time to keep a roof over our heads and the mortgage is in joint names so why is there a DIFFRENCE because I don’t have a vag or breast???when you ask them regarding what there for they say its to benefit the kids but when you tell them its poushing you into poverty and its going to saffect there time and well being with their dad they can give you no answer.it takes 2 to make them it takes 2 raise them and equal opportunity’s theses days it takes 2 to PROVIDE for them not one working to the bone and the other sitting on their ass while kids at school.

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