CSA arrears demand

May 10, 2011

I have been paying CSA for 7 yrs. For the first 4 yrs I was paying the lower rate due to lack of employment. I went into full time permanent employment in 2008, and they reviewed my case. They sent out a schedule which I paid each month by direct debit. In Jan 2010 they reviewed my case again.

After countless letters back and forth they then sent a further schedule in June 2010, which stated I had to pay the amount set in the schedule for the next 12 months. In July 2010 they sent a further two schedules which contradicted the initial one, neither made sense I then proceeded to write to them for an explanation. This continued through until October 2010 when they wrote with a list of payments I should have been making (as the direct debit had stopped being collected). This tallied with the original schedule received in June, therefore, I cleared the arrears and continued to make monthly payments. In February this year, they wrote stating I owe almost £10k in arrears and set an amount of almost £150 weekly. (this being a weekly payment of approx £65 + £85 to clear arrears in 2 yrs).

I have been paying weekly amount of £65, and wrote asking them for a breakdown of the arrears which they say date back to May 2008; I still have not received this. I rang today and offered an extra £140 per month to clear the arrears as opposed to the £340 they were demanding, and now they are demanding I pay at least half or they will apply to my work to take 40% of my monthly pay. I cannot afford this, nor the amount they were originally asking for. I have always made my payments according to what they asked for, but now due to them making a mistake which has taken them 2+ years to notify me, I appear to be thousands in arrears.

They suggested I take a loan to clear the arrears and have given me ten days to sort. I have my children twice each week, and live with my partner who also has a child.

Any advice will be gratefully recieved.

Comments

  • Gary Thorn says:

    You must write to your MP. You will be surprised at the response. By law they must give you evidence that you owe this. A breakdown etc. But I also have had the experience where they say they do not have to give you a breakdown. Write to your MP.

  • Roy Macaulay says:

    i Split from my ex wife in 2004 i was getting to see my son for a while and then she accused me and my new wife of stupid things anyway we went to court and were told that there will be no contact between us and my son.
    Saying this i have still payed maintenance but not every month due to work so i became in arrears of £3000 this was stated in a letter from the csa in 2009
    in 2010 my wages were arrested and i had to pay 40% of my wage leaving me with basically nothing i phoned wrote to them explaining that i have a mortgage gas electric food to buy but this went on deaf ears (they dont care)
    I also went to my local mp and got no where these are the people who brought this into force the csa say that all monies goto the resident parent but will not give evidence of this?
    This may 2011 i recieved another letter from them saying that i have another year of arrears of £3000 which to my calculations and pay slips show that i have paid now they are saying that my arrears were £6000 i have never had any corrispondance proving this they havent given me any sort of break down of what i have paid and what is due.
    With the financial way this country is in i cant afford another year at 40% what can i do can anyone help
    im desperate.

  • lyn says:

    Roy they will keep clocking up this amount and by next year they will tell you its £9,000. My ex partner had the same problem and it eventually went up to £36,000 eventually reduced to £29,000. No MP could help him either and in March he lost his house.

    They took his house to get this so called cumulated amount . Try to get this sorted before they keep clocking up the amount.

    Good luck

  • sapman says:

    i have just been informed that a case from 1994, which they told me about in 2008 and i have spent 18 months appealing is now invalid because i only have 28 days to appeal !!!! so i am 17 years to late in an appeal against a case i knew nothing about and when i said what can i do was told ppppppffffffff nothing

  • Kate says:

    Lets make a change. Please sign my petition at the website address below.
    http://www.petitions24.com/abolish_the_csa

    Someone will just have to listen!

  • Lea says:

    Try your local MP, all our calls fell on deaf ears with the CSA so went to my local MP, and within 24 hours the CSA were on the phone….its worth a try! However our problems are far from over!!

  • mr coleman says:

    there a disgrace,modern society like this,
    the government has to listen,how can we make them hear us??
    something has to be done,local mp is not really a good thing,there usually puppets for the higher authority.

  • Trevor Wilson says:

    I have just been informed i owe just over £6,000. I have never missed a payment and have bank statements showing the CSA have taken my money but they haven’t a clue what they have done with it.
    I have also just spoken to an Advisor named Usman at the CSA who has looked at my lost payments on a Clerical Database Payment Screen and also one named CSA 2. There are all of my payments !!! Usman has even commented that “You are paying on time”. He also commented when i read out the dates and amounts I have paid “It looks like you are looking at my screen” as I can match exactly the payments I have made to their system. Madness and we the taxpayer are paying for this crap.
    Get the CSA to look on these databases for ANY missing payments. Half of the Advisors I have spoken to don’t even know they exist so they can have had any training either. Don’t ever give up. My case is now at the House of Commons MP Liaison Team trying to get a resolution.

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