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Hello all
Hope everyone is coping and getting somewhere with your respective cases.
A few quick queries id like your views on.
I've been paying substantial maintenance through a FBA since my daughter was born in Feb 2014. Despite not (yet) having any PR or being engaged in her life in anyway I have always paid a healthy amount without challenge. Now my partner is saying I do not pay enough, however the level is commensurate with my earnings - 12% contribution.
Also because of the continued questioning around this issue, I'm tempted just to go through CM Options so that there can be no debate around what constitutes a reasonable payment, and frankly to get my ex off my back, I'm even being told now that I can't buy my daughter a Xmas present because of my apparently unacceptable low payments.
Final query really is around self employment. Up until the end of September 2015 I was in a very well paid job but left due to the stress of this situation and wanting a career change. How will the CMS calculate this? I am now earning gross around 44% of my previous wage, but this can fluctuate as my income is self generated. I'd also be concerned if they took into account my earnings from my previous tax year.
Any help would be welcome. I'm so sick of her manipulation, that if the general advice is its better just to go through CM options then ill do so. Just to you know, mediation and any sort of reasonable discussion is completely out of the question. Ive tried for two years to no avail.
Thanks
Strugllingon
...if you decide to go thought the CMS, although the amount for one child is 12% of gross salary, I think they will look at your previous 12 months income to work it out, but you will need to clarify that.
There would also be an initial admin charge of £20 and if you were to use the collect and pay service you would be liable to pay an extra 20% of the amount you pay, she would also have to pay 4% of the amount she receives.
Of course if she's unhappy with the amount she is receiving she may decide to open a claim herself.
Hello Strugglingon
Just to make you aware that Child Maintenance Options are an impartial and confidential service that provides information on the different ways that child maintenance can be arranged, they do no put maintenance in place.
The Child Maintenance Service uses the amount of gross income given to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by a paying parent, their employer or their accountant to work out the average amount of earnings, or, where the paying parent is self-employed, their taxable profits. For every case, the gross income figure will be reviewed each year in order to take account of newer income information given to HMRC.
If during the year earnings from employment change temporarily from week to week due to overtime or bonuses, this usually wouldn't make a difference to the amount a paying parent must pay in the 2012 scheme. But if there is a more permanent change to current income and this differs from this by 25% or more from the income figure previously used then the paying parent can apply to have a temporary new calculation put in place. They will need to provide evidence for this but, if successful, the new calculation will usually apply at least up until the next Annual Review.
I have included a link on how the Child Maintenance Service works and how they calculate child maintenance that you may find useful, https://www.gov.uk/how-child-maintenance-is-worked-out/how-the-child-maintenance-service-works-out-child-maintenance.
For more information on all the different ways to set up child maintenance and for a more personalised service, you can visit the Child Maintenance Options website at http://www.cmoptions.org.
The DWP have a sorting out separation web-app that you may find useful. It offers help and support to separating and separated families. The link is: www.dad.info/divorce-and-separation/sorting-out-separation.
Regards
William
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