[Solved] Changes to the CSA in 2014

I hope thats the case but if she refuses to give me the details to pay how can i pay direct, i know that would be her fault and logicly they should just tell her "give the details or dont get the money" but its been my experience that the CSA view the nrp as scum and the rp as a saint and are more then bias.

sorry for the harsh tones but these expletitives have ruined the last year of my life and will no doubt continue to untill my daughter is 16 (or 18) or untill they actually start means testing nrp and rp and coming with a fair payment

It is the case, the only way that you will go onto Collect & Pay is if both parents agree to it or if the paying parent is proved to be, unlikely to pay. To be proved unlikely to pay you need to have missed payments whilst on a Child Maintenance Service scheme. People with missed payments on the old CSA schemes start again with a clean slate as far as missed payments history goes (that doesn't mean that debts will be written off just that payment history will not be carried across). So there is no reason that you won't go on Direct Pay and then as long as you don't miss a payment you won't end up on Collect & Pay.

I hope this helps.
Gooner

Hi Kate,

I have spoken to my contact at the DWP and here is the score straight from the horses mouth.

You ex with a history of not paying will be able to go on to Direct Pay first but the first time he misses a payment, you need to call the CMS and they will move you across to Collect & Pay. He basically gets one chance to make regular payments. As for tracking him down that is the CMS's job. They have a track and trace service - you only need supply them with his name and date of birth. They will make the initial contact with him etc.

I hope this is of help.

Gooner

I hope thats the case but if she refuses to give me the details to pay how can i pay direct, i know that would be her fault and logicly they should just tell her "give the details or dont get the money" but its been my experience that the CSA view the nrp as scum and the rp as a saint and are more then bias.

sorry for the harsh tones but these expletitives have ruined the last year of my life and will no doubt continue to untill my daughter is 16 (or 18) or untill they actually start means testing nrp and rp and coming with a fair payment

It is the case, the only way that you will go onto Collect & Pay is if both parents agree to it or if the paying parent is proved to be, unlikely to pay. To be proved unlikely to pay you need to have missed payments whilst on a Child Maintenance Service scheme. People with missed payments on the old CSA schemes start again with a clean slate as far as missed payments history goes (that doesn't mean that debts will be written off just that payment history will not be carried across). So there is no reason that you won't go on Direct Pay and then as long as you don't miss a payment you won't end up on Collect & Pay.

I hope this helps.
Gooner

After hearing that im guessing for direct pay they would need to give me a way to contact my ex, which could lead to contact (well atleast ill know where my daughter is)

have never missed a payment even though a few times it hasnt left me with enough to live on (not that the CSA care about that ofcourse, the health and well being of the nrp is irrelevant provided they get thier pound of flesh, yeah im very bitter about it but im sure anyone in my situation would be/is )

Going to make a coffee, calm myself, and call them to get transfered to the new system, im guessing it will take a few weeks but with luck it will mean i can see my daughter again

EDIT
i hate talking to the CSA, it will take up to 3 years for my case to be switched to the new system, under the new system there is a chance ill pay less (but the fact that im paying more now is irrelevent and no overpayment will be considered even though im paying more under the old scheme then i would under the new...yep thats fair) and no they would not organise contact under the new scheme as "it is not our job to organise contact with your child that is the job of a solicitor" yeah, ill go hire one now, it was a year ago i last talked to one and was advised that it could cost several thousand (including fees to find her) and that courts side with the mother specialy if she claims there was domestic violance involved, which aparently they nearly all do (which would then put my job in jeopardy too) there is also no legal aid for family law cases.

I stress to add the only violance was from her not me.

well im off to have another coffee, watch some comedy and make a fuss of the cat take my mind of how fucked my life is thanks to the CSA, hay in 3 years time if it is lowered i may be able to afford to eat AND have a social life yay

What leaflet document did this info come from please.

sorry new on here, my first post was for post 37007 william the child maintenance option consultant.

HI where did this info come from please,

sorry the lst three post are in the wrong place found the right place now 😆

Hi,

I am new to this site, so apologies if this has been covered already.

I have been paying my ex maintenance money directly for the last four and a half years. I was assessed by the CSA on how much I should pay, and I make that payment directly to her. I have never missed a payment, and for the last year I have been paying more than I should be.

4 weeks ago I was contacted by the CSA, stating that my ex wanted to go to the new scheme and that I would be making payments directly to the CSA and not her. I was reassessed at the same time. I asked why I was moving to the new scheme and I was told that the new scheme is better for both parents, and it encourages parents to work together, ideally with me making payments directly to my ex!!!!! Which is exactly what I have been doing for the last four and a half years!
After long, frustrating discussions with the CSA on the phone, I just couldn't work out why I was having to change to the new scheme and pay them directly when the old way worked perfectly well. However, having just found out that at some point an 'admin' fee will be introduced, everything fell into place......especially when I found out it was 20% of what I pay her!

The CSA did go onto say that on the new scheme, if payment are made on time and of the correct amount, there is no reason why I should be able to revert back to paying my ex directly, meaning I don't have to pay the 20% admin fee. However, this is something that the NRP has to request.

Just thought I would put this out there..................

Cases are being transferred to the new CMS from the CSA over the next 3 or 4 years, so it's possible that your is being transferred now. The CMS calculation is doe on 12%/16%/20% of gross income compared to the CSA calculation of 15%/20%/25% of net income. The charge is 20% for the paying parent, and 7% for the receiving parent if collect and pay is used, but if direct pay is used (which is what you are doing), then these fees don't apply. Since you don't have any arrears, I don't see any reason why you can't go straight onto direct pay and avoid the charges.

Hello

Using the Collect and Pay service via the Child Maintenance Service, under the government's plans the paying parent must pay a 20% fee on top of each child maintenance payment collected by the Child Maintenance Service. The receiving parent is charged a 4% fee each time the Child Maintenance Service passes on a child maintenance payment to them, along with the £20 application fee. Via the Direct Pay option there would only be the application fee.

Either parent can request to use the Direct Pay service, however, there are alternative ways that child maintenance can be arranged. For more information on 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

Its my understanding that when the new system is inplace its up to us to organise direct payment. BUT if the mother decides she does not want direct payment (or if she decides the amount she is getting is unfair) then she can go to the CSA to organise it through them, she will have to pay £20 to get it organised and then payments are done via CSA. At this point the CSA take an extra 20% ontop of the crippling 15% they already leech from the nrp ! they then take 7% of the money for themselfs and pass the rest on to the rp. (this is what the citizens advice have told me)
Bear in mind even if i tell them im willing to make direct payments all she has to do is say, no he isnt and refuse to give me details to actually pay her.

Now this will be fantastic news to my ex, she can damage my life even further, and i doubt she is alone in this.

The CSA is a very bias and evil organisation, they say thier goal is to help the children get a fair amount as if the father is living there....they dont take in account that if the mother is living with a new man then the child is already in a home with the same income there was, that a father on min wage cant afford to lose 15% let alone 15%+fee of his wage and eat. Im all for providing for your child but it MUST be in a way that is fair to all partys and doesnt leave the father (or anyone) in poverty.

Im dreading the new system (to the point of losing sleep) i feel it will be the end of me. I already live like a hermit and have become very familier with smart price foods and generic bland coffee. [censored] its taken me 6 months to save up the £220 i need for the license renew of my job...6 months! My life thanks to an evil ex and the csa is [censored] and at times [censored] near unbearable. Maybe it would not be so bad if my daughter was part of my life but after finally managing to track them down my daughter wants nothing to do with me, shouldnt surprise me that she has been turned against me but still it hurts.

The CSA is nothing but a very effective weapon used by ex's to ruin and destroy the lifes of the fathers.

It needs a complete change,
both income and outgoings(rent/utility) of both nrp and rp households need to be taken into account so that the amount is fair and does not cripple either household.
access needs to be part of the CSA (unless the nrp represents a danger to the rp or child, as proven by police records, or some such evidence to avoid abuse)

just those two changes would make a difference, but hay im shouting into a hurricane, untill my daughter is 16 i have no life, if this new charge system comes in and is how the cab described it then i may end up unemployed, i just dont see how i would afford to stay in work and that to put it politly is f**ked up

Its my understanding that when the new system is inplace its up to us to organise direct payment. BUT if the mother decides she does not want direct payment (or if she decides the amount she is getting is unfair) then she can go to the CSA to organise it through them, she will have to pay £20 to get it organised and then payments are done via CSA. At this point the CSA take an extra 20% ontop of the crippling 15% they already leech from the nrp ! they then take 7% of the money for themselfs and pass the rest on to the rp. (this is what the citizens advice have told me)
Bear in mind even if i tell them im willing to make direct payments all she has to do is say, no he isnt and refuse to give me details to actually pay her.

Now this will be fantastic news to my ex, she can damage my life even further, and i doubt she is alone in this.

Hi mrgreaper,

That's not quite correct. The default scheme that everyone goes onto with the Child Maintenance Service is Direct Pay - which you will not be charged for using.

The only way that you can go on to the Collect and Pay Scheme is if both the paying parent and the receiving parent request to go on the scheme or if the paying parent fails to make payments whilst on the Direct Pay scheme.

Even paying parents with a history of not making regular payments whilst on a CSA scheme will start on the Direct Pay scheme when they eventually move to the CMS.

You ex will have to provide you with details so that you are able to pay her. If she refuses then I would advise that you talk to the CMS directly and discuss with them.

I am sorry to read that you have struggled financially recently and not had contact with your daughter. Access and maintenance are two different things in the eyes of the law and are not linked. It must feel incredibly frustrating.

Gooner.