[Solved] Child Maintenance

I think your ex will continue to receive child benefit until he reaches 18 unless he finds work earlier, in which case the CSA would say that maintenance is due. Would be worth having a word with them directly.

Hi cabman.

Thank you for your post. My name is William I am the Child Maintenance Options consultant.

The family-based arrangement that you have in place is simply an agreement between you and your son's mother about who will provide what for him. This type of agreement is not legally binding but it is flexible, so the two of you may wish to try and negotiate when your payments will stop.

If you would like to follow the Child Support Agency (CSA) guidelines, they state that child maintenance is payable when the receiving parent is still in receipt of Child Benefit payments and the child is aged under 16, or under 20 and in full-time non-advanced education. When a child leaves full-time education in the summer, Child Benefit generally continues until the first week of September. Also, anyone aged 16 or 17 who is not in education, is not working and does not receive employment related benefits, is also defined as a child.

If you would like any further information, Child Maintenance Options can help, you can visit our website at: http://www.cmoptions.org or call us free on 0800 988 0988.

Thank you William, and Actd, but my Ex doesn't do "negotiations" My son's courses have never been full time, he has only ever gone to college 16 hours per week.....
I need to have my facts right before I approach my ex wife with anything, as her Mother and her Brother both work for the CSA
🙁
Our arrangement has always been a private one, we have never gone through the CSA, but she does get her info etc from her family....her info is so accurate, that I pay on a monthly basis as per what the CSA amount would be and nothing less....(£180)

I need to be able to say "this is when it stops, this is the reason why, end of....!"

I know this probably makes me sound like I am desperate to STOP paying for my son, this is not the case, I'm fed up that even after 10 years, SHE still has a bit of a hold over me and the only thing I am desperate for is closure!

perhaps you could contact her and tell her that, as you understand the rules, you will be stopping payment in September - that way it's for her to come back and agree, or if not, say why she thinks you are wrong - it does sound like she's been sticking to the letter of the CSA rules.

:boohoo: Well, after many discussions with my ex, (which is worse than having a tooth extracted without any pain relief) she has told me that our son is staying on at college (part time course Sept-Apr '14)......so I've been carrying on with my monthly payments, however, my son has text me asking me to take him to a job interview this week (I'm not sure at the mo if it's full or part time) here's my questions....

If its a full time job, I know that I no longer pay my ex, but if it is part time and he goes to college part time as well, do I still pay her even though my son is earning a wage? If yes I do, then do I still pay her the amount we have agreed on or do my payments lower?
Obviously, my Son is my priority (he's 18 now) and I would give my life for him, but the ex is just doing my head in trying to grab every last pound I earn, so any help/advice would me most grateful.....again! :silly:

If his course is more than 12 hours per week, then it's full time even if he has a full time job as well I think - the rules are in a sticky topic at the top of this section as to which courses count and which don't