[Solved] Does it stop now??

Hi there

Generally speaking, once a child leaves education after final exams at the end of the school year, payments continue on until the first week in September.

If the mother continues to claim child benefit the CSA may expect your payments to continue too. It's probably best if you contact the CSA and inform them of the changes.

Hi Lee

Thank you for your post. I am William the Child Maintenance Options consultant. I would like to provide you with some information around the Government guidelines for when child maintenance payments should end.

Under child support legislation, regular child maintenance payments must be made until a child is 16 years old, or 20 if they are in full-time, non-advanced education (A-level or equivalent), or for as long as Child Benefit is being paid. In addition, if arrears have built up on a Child Support Agency (CSA) case, those arrears must still be paid, even if regular child maintenance payments stop. You can find more information about when Child Benefit payments stop on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-16-19. You can also find more information about when child maintenance payments stop on the same site at https://www.gov.uk/when-child-maintenance-payments-stop. To clarify when your payments will end you will need to contact the CSA office that is handling your case. You can find their details on any letters they have sent you or on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance

For more information on the ways to set up child maintenance, please visit our website at http://www.cmoptions.org. Alternatively, you can call us free on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on a Saturday. The Department for Work and Pensions have a web application ‘sorting out separation’ which 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

Hi , and thank you for the replies.
So basically, it could stop now as my son has left education and is working?
But what if my ex is still ( perhaps wrongly) claiming child benefit??
Do the CSA check or look into things ( I've heard that they just take the mums word for it )
I'm apprehensive about actually speaking to the CSA , I think i'm still traumatised after my initial dealings with them all those years ago. Everytime I rang them back then I received conflicting information from every CSA agent I spoke too. It was a VERY stressful time. ( not least because of the inconsistencies in information I was being given over the phone ) I'm dreading phoning them!!!

Hi Lee

Here at Child Maintenance Options we are different to the CSA and do not have access to their cases, therefore, I cannot confirm if your child maintenance payments can stop now. To clarify this, as well as if they can look in to whether or not your son’s mum is still claiming Child Benefit, you will need to contact them directly. I can see from what you have written that you are reluctant to contact them due to past experiences when you have. If you are unhappy with the service that you have received you may wish to view the CSA’s complaints and appeals procedure here: https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance/complaints-and-appeals.

For information about what you can do if you suspect your son’s mum is claiming Child Benefit and should not be, you may wish to speak to the Child Benefit office at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). You will find more information about them, including their contact details, on their website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk.

Regards

William