[Solved] Child maintenance and F.E - when payment stops

Hi Paul

You definalty shouldn't be paying maintenance if your daughter is claiming income support

if one of the following happens, your payments will stop straightaway:
your child starts paid work for 24 hours a week or more
your child starts getting certain benefits, such as Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance, or tax credits in their own right

Who said they will set the enforcement team on you? The CSA?

Payments should have stopped the 31st August, anything you've paid since then has been an overpayment

I would ring the CSA again and be firm (half of them don't even know the correct legislation and give wrong information) stand your ground, tell them your daughter left college in August 2013 and now claims income support, they should be able to check with the DWP as the computer systems are accessible by the CSA

Do not pay anymore money as you will struggle to get it back, they would have to try and get the overpayment back from your ex

If they still insist you pay until she is 18, write a letter to the complaints resolution team at the office your case is held at, they have 15 days to respond, if you get no joy, then write to your MP, he will then write to the chief executive of the CSA (who then passes it back down to the team :whistle: and then get things sorted because they only have 30 days to reply to your MP

Thanks for your advice! Yes it was the CSA who said they would send the enforcement team out to me!!!! I am currently chatting with my daughter who has informed me that she is not in receipt of any benefit as she is not eligible and has to apply for hardship payments!
Am I perfectly within my rights to stop payments through CSA to my ex and pay my daughter directly???
Talking to the CSA is like knocking your head against a brick wall!!!!

Do you know if the mother is still claiming child benefit
Does your daughter intend to go back to education or get a job?

I wouldn't stop the payments via the CSA just yet then, they won't take into account you giving it to your daughter direct

And yes I know it's like knocking your head against a brick wall 😀

I can prove that my daughter is not living with her mum, as she sent me a copy of a DWP letter. The CSA have said it could take up to 12 wks before I get a response from them, so in the meantime I'm expected to keep paying my ex rather than helping my daughter out who is not receiving a penny from her mum! Am not sure if she is still in receipt of Child Benefit. I have had the same problem before when my ex didn't declare our son moving out of her home and he was working!
Surely the CSA stands for child support, not parent claiming support??
Appreciate your advice! Many Thanks

I would keep calling them once a week
And have the CSA said they will refund you your overpayments whilst they take 12 weeks to sort!

If it were me I would be inclined to stop payments as you defiantly know she isn't entitled to CS

Many thanks for your advice which as been highly valuable! 🙂

hi can you help me just found out my daughter has just turned 18 and is getting job seekers do I still have to pay csa looked on line and its all abit confessing

Hi, here's some info for you

Child maintenance runs in line with child benefit, so as long as her mother has told the child benefit office that she is no longer eligible for it, then the child maintenance should also stop.

You need to call the CSA and tell them your daughter is claiming JSA and to do a child benefit check

Child leaves education or training - and is 18 or over
Your payments will normally carry on from the date your child leaves education or training that counts for Child Benefit, until the week that includes the earliest of these dates:
the last day of February
31 May
31 August
30 November
But if one of the following happens, your payments will stop straightaway:
your child starts paid work for 24 hours a week or more
your child gets certain benefits, such as Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance, or tax credits in their own right
your child reaches the age of 20
You will need to report any of these changes to the Child Benefit Office.

thanks for info il get in touch with them and find out thanks again for the info

Hi all just found this forum today,

my daughter will be 17 in June, she has left college on her own accord, where do i stand with regards to CSA payments. In the meantime she is trying to get an apprenticeship with a pharmacy if she does am i still required to pay CSA. What happens if she does not get an apprenticeship?

I also believe that her mother has not informed anyone about this change?

Help

Hi Bostonboy

Have a read of this link
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/keep-up-to-date/when-child-aged-16/child-16.htm

You need to inform the CSA that the child has left education

The mother should also inform the child benefit office but many don't !!! ;;)

Hi am just wondering if am correct on thinking that my son is 18 this month still at collage till the summer,and the going to university in September. Will I stop paying CSA in September?