[Solved] CSA when private arrangement in place.

I think it's a grey area - if you have made payments for child maintenance (and that needs to be clearly specified on the standing order) then the CSA would be on very shaky ground trying to get you to pay maintenance again, unless the amount they calculate is greater than you are paying.

What you could do is to make the request to the CSA that you start paying via them, stop paying your ex now, and put that money into a savings account (or ask the CSA if you can pay to them directly now based on their calculator) so that you don't suddenly get stung for arrears. At least that way you have control of the situation - it doesn't have to be her that opens the case.

Hi Jonny,

I have asked the nice people at Child Maintaintenance Options to pop by and offer you some advice on this one. They are yoda when it comes to Maintenance advice......

Gooner

Thanks Gooner, That would be a great help 🙂

John

The CSA will back date the payment from the point at which your ex partner made contact.

For example, if you made a private payment to her on the 30th of the month and she contacted them on the 29th of the month then the CSA payments will be back dated to the 29th of the month and will not take into consideration the payment you would have paid privately.

The CSA seem to assume when a claim is made, the parents are at deadlock and no arrangement can be made to pay an adequate amount of money towards the child/children - it's almost like they assume in every case the child is suffering because a parent is either not contributing or short-changing the contributions and they have to jump in and delve into your financials to make sure you are paying what you are legally obliged to pay.

The CSA serve a purpose for parents who refuse to contribute towards their child/children but for parents who have private arrangements in place it often seems that greed drives the need for the CSA to get involved.

To the OP, I feel for you as this happened to me 2 years ago at the end of November and this hit me hard over the festive period as the CSA took an age to work out the payments and I had already give my ex partner my monthly contribution which she gladly accepted and the CSA did not take this into consideration when they back dated the initial payment.

Hi Jonnybobs

Thanks for your post, I’m William the Child Maintenance Options Consultant. The information we hold about the Child Support Agency (CSA) is if an application is made with the CSA, your responsibility to pay will start from around the time that the CSA contacts you to let you know that an application has been made. You may wish to contact the CSA again and clarify this with them. Their contact details can be found on their website at www.gov.uk/child-maintenance.

With you currently having a family-based arrangement, you may wish to speak to your ex to discuss her concerns and try to keep your arrangement in place. This can be done without involving anyone else, or with the help of friends, family, Child Maintenance Options' guides or a professional mediator. If you feel mediation could help you and your ex discuss things, the following link can provide you with details of organisations in your area that provide a mediation service http://find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk/. Collaborating together to keep your family-based arrangement is better for your child.

Family-based arrangements are not legally binding, however, they can be quick and easy to change if either you or your ex has a change in circumstances.

We have some tools and guides available to download from our website at http://www.cmoptions.org/en/toolbox/index.asp. There is our Talking about money guide and Discussion Guide, these can help you and your ex work out together how much child maintenance your child needs. We also have a family-based arrangement form. You can complete this with your ex and sign your names to show your commitment to this arrangement. Although this is not a legally enforceable document, it puts the agreement on a more formal basis.

To find out more about how Child Maintenance Options can help you visit cmoptions.org or call us free on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on Saturday.

Thanks
William

William,

Many thanks indeed (as everyone else too) for the advice.I've been "informed" that she has gone to the CSA, although this is not a bother to me as such as I am more than happy to pay for my child. After all, I helped create him and defiantly want the responsibility for him as much as possible.

I will call the advice line next week as well.

Many thanks

John