Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

A question about : Child Maintenance (CSA) questions (merged)

:Please can somebody help me ive been fighting the csa for over eight months now . my ex partner pays them Ј45.20p a week for his son ive ive got loads of reciepts to prove to me that he has paid them . ive spent hundreds of pounds in phone bills but they are saying that they have only recieved a few payments and what i have recieved im not entiteled to yet . i dont understand how this can be and i dont know who to turn to next it is making my life a misery i hate the csa someone please help me .......... :'(

Best answers:

• Visit your local Citizens Advice (CAB) they should be able to help, they will also write/phone for you if you allow them permisson to. This will save you your phone bill for a start.
• Hi SCREAMIN_BABIES,
  I have moved your topic here as it will hopefully increase your chances of people with the right knowledge to add to what Aztec has said and help you out
  Regards,
  Abuse Controller
• Hi
  For 2years I have fought with the CSA as my son has never received any maintenance payments whatsoever, and in this time I have had only 3letters from them. Each time I phoned them I was receiving conflicting information!
  Then one adviser I was speaking to actually told me to contact my MP and get him to intervene! He said that my case was going back and forwards between the three offices- Falkirk, Northern Ireland and Belfast, and that no one was taking responsibility for it.
  He told me that when an MP says jump, they say how high, and that this is the only way he could see for me to get any results.
  Before I moved house, my MP was very helpful- he wrote to the MD of the CSA and received a reply within a fortnight, enlightening me to the hold up, and that I would be kept up todate of progress.
  I would certainly ask your MP for help, it's not going to do any more harm, and it might actually speed things up.
  Goodluck
• you could also ask to be referred to the ice team (independent case examiners) the csa's own troubleshooting team
  they take a while but generally they get the job done.
  a little known fact too
  you can apply for compensation from the csa. it is usually around the Ј50 mark but i have known more to be given. if you keep applying for compensation they may actually decide to get yours sorted instead of brushing you off.
  jsut a minor query. does your ex pay to more then one child/ex partner. if yes then maybe all the money is going to them instead of being split with you.
  also what does the proof of payment look like. most customers of the csa pay be dd or s/o. very few pay cash because it costs more.
• i don't get maintenance (the CSA can't find my ex) but just a thought, if you are on good terms with the ex could you arrange for him to pay you directly instead of going through the CSA?
• jellyhead
  you can always come to a private agreement about child support.
  however only if you are not on a prescribed benefit
  those benefits include JSA, Income Support. cant remember which others count now.
  if you are on a precribed benefit then the chancellor wants his share, and you will recieve a fiver of any money the ex pays.
  wftc is not a prescribed benefit so any child support you recieve is all yours.
  simone
• I have had two years of very stressful dealings with the CSA and know just how frustrating they are to deal with. It is a very common experience to be passed from person to person, with no-one willing to take responsibilty.
  Always note the names of the people you speak to and keep a log on your computer. I now always put everything in writing after the phone call and send a letter recorded delivery confirming what was said in the call.
  Do write to your mp and enclose your log and copies of all letters to and from the CSA. They can make a difference. Mine has helped at points. The appeals unit are very good (totally unlike the rest of the CSA) and may be worth taking your case to.
  Hang in there and keep fighting Things do take for ever and it is easy to give up hope at some points, but don't. You will get there in the end. !
  Also once you get this sorted do apply for compensation.
  I went through a lot of grief, but in the end managed to get compensation payments of Ј60 and Ј887 ;D
  I am now in the process of yet another stressful argument with them. However I am now learning to just keep plugging away.
  Good luck. If you have any questions do pm me. I would be glad to help.
• Sorry, forgot to add that you can also claim compensation for the phone bills. This is easy if you have an itemised phone bill.
• Many moons ago I too had problems with the CSA - they took over 2 years to sort out the maintenance payments.
  As has been mentioned, contact your MP.
  At the time of my problems there was a lot of publicity about absent fathers wanting to commit suicide over the outrageous payments!!! I wrote to my MP saying that I as a mother with no money felt the same way; I explained the stress I was under, the frustration etc and - within the week he contacted the CSA within two weeks I received Ј1,697 from the CSA (not maintenance from my ex husband). The letter that was sent with the cheque said that this was in no way compensation! Doh what was it then Father Christmas early!
• I have always been given advice to keep records of payments given to ex partners for child maintenance.Is it really good advice?
  My ex partner and I decided not to go through CSA. I gave her a lump sum payment of Ј32000 to help her and my daughter plus a monthly payment of Ј165/month. 6 months went by and I received a letter out of the blue from the CSA stating that my ex has applied to them for child maintenance and could I send all my details.
  I told the CSA that I gave her the lump sum and monthly payments already. I was told that since the application from when I should be paying was received after I paid the lump sum, this money could not be taking into consideration.
  I now have to pay an extra Ј65 per month. Are they correct in what they are saying? and if so does this mean that this advice I have been given to keep records no good.
  Sorry to burden you all with my dilemma.Im just another responsible father getting ripped off and deprived of my daughters company by an ex partner.
• I have read somewhere that if you are a divorced or separated father there is help available with the payment of maintenance for those on low incomes.
  does anyone have any further information on this?
  is this for people receiving income support and jobseekers allowance only?
• I am not sure if that is right!!!!
  Go to the CAB and get some advice, i am sure someone on here will be of more help! Good Luck to you anyway!
  Always the dad's that are willing to pay get stiffed
  helen
• Hi!
  You do need to have a chat with the CAB sooner rather than later, but I think the CSA are right. They are solely interested in your income, what you have paid in maintainance for your child and how many nights a week you have her FROM THE POINT IN TIME YOU WERE REPORTED TO THEM. So up-front payments and previous agreements are ignored. Sorry. As your assessment is under the new scheme then the CSA will expect you to pay 15% of your take home income minus any additional pension contributions outside a works scheme. This contribution will drop by a seventh for each night per week you have your daughter.
  When dealing with the CSA it is essential to keep copies of all correspondance as they have (in my experience and that of my partner) a well earned reputation for incompetence, which is always blamed on the computer. Similarly check the figures they use to calculate the maintainance.
  Good luck
  Kevin
• Thanks for all the info. I think they have the figures correct, I just feel something doesnt seem right, at least morally if not legally.
  I have now just received a bill for half the overpayment of child tax credit. Money that I have never seen or to be honest heard of up till now.It was an application in joint names. My ex will still be able to claim this money back anyway by re-applying herself. So she will be reclaiming half the bill ive already paid.
  Where does it all end? I'm off to see the CAB this afternoon.
• I don't know where you stand with regard to the tax credit situations. I have had lengthy dealings with the CSA and also think the previous posts are correct : it is your take home income now that will be taken into consideration. I do agree that morally this doesn't seem fair. There is something in their literature about lump settlements but I think this relates to agreeements pre 1993. (Though I would need to double check that).
  The CSA are very prone to making errors (and yes it is always blamed on the copmputer!), so check your assessment carefully.
• I have been advised today by the CAB to challenge this lump sum payment and write back to the CSA. Get them to give an acceptable reason why this large amount of money is being dismissed without a second look and get back to CAB with their reply.
  Letter will be in the post tomorrow
• Good luck, that is shocking. I really hope it turns out for the best for you.
  x