[Solved] my csa payments

Hi there Matty and welcome 🙂

You can google the CSA calculator, fill it in and it will give you the amount you should be paying. There are reductions made for things like the non resident parent having the children overnight, for example for every 52 nights per year the child stays with the non residenrt parent a reduction of 1/7th is made, for 104 nights 2/7ths and so on.

If you take a look at the top of the Finance section (this section I think) you will see a sticky that has a link to a CSA leaflet that will help in calculating what you should pay. Its called "How does the CSA calculate payments" I think...its the very first sticky anyway! Hope this helps 🙂

Er, it's no longer the first sticky - your 2014 CSA posting has taken that spot 🙂

hi this is my first time on dad, i recently have had to start paying child maintenance and im having massive problems with the csa about payments, they have never contacted me in anyway and have deducted over £600 in maintenance when i only earn £350 a week they said this is back dated payments because they couldnt get in contact with me although they managed to contact my empolyers, i think this is a massive over calculation i think, has anyone experienced anything like this and has any advice

Hi,
I split from my ex 3 years ago i have 2 girls 14 & 9, when I unfortunatly had to move out and move in with
family i was stuck paying off a loan & credit cards in total around £18000 as all in my name which took 3 years,
for the first 2 years i took the girls and ex on holiday trying to make it work but we decided it was not working
for sure just over a year ago. I was seeing and having the girls every weekend taking them on days out
paying for swimming lessons & horseriding and every weekend buying them food for the week and pack lunches.

4 months ago as i paid off everything i wanted to rent somewhere myself and get 2 bedrooms so the girls have
there own bedroom at the weekend. It is costing me £1000 a month and i now owe £7000 as i had to pay a
deposit and buy all new furniture and all other items needed as i left everything apart from my clothes when
I had left my ex.

Recently my ex asked me to stop buying the shopping and pay her £50 in cash i did this a couple of times
as well as gave her £100 cash for school clothes but then told her that i couldnt pay her cash every week and
asked for her bank details so i could pay her £200 a month via the bank but she refused and said she will take
me to the csa. i few weeks later the CSA called me and said my ex had made a claim against me.

A week later the sent me forms to fill in which i did not fill in as i didnt want them involved and wanted to try
and discuss with my ex, during this time the CSA contacted my empoyies found out how much i earned then
sent me the amounts i have to pay each month.
The first payment which they took on 1st December was £848.10 which was £318 in arrears and £530.10
as a regular amount but it is not as next month its £452.90, I questioned this and they just said thats just how
it works out the first payment is always more???? why?

This has now left me living on my overdraft for the rest of the month and cannot see me lasting, i cannot
afford to take the girls out as i used to or buy them things or take them on holiday. I may even have to look
at getting a one bedroom to save £200 a month but then the girls will not have there own room to stay in
but i dont see why i should.
My ex has a 4 bedroom new house which is houseing assosiation pays hardly anything in rent and gets all
the child benfits/tax credits she works part time and her 20 year old daughter lives with her who pays her
house keeping. So with this extra £452 what is she going to spend it on while im working hard living on my
overdraft.

Surely this is not right that i am having my rights to be a father to my own kids taken away, if she really needed
the money i wouldn't mind as much but this is not the case. She has just done this out of spite not for the sake
of the kids. I told her that i might have to give up the two bedroom so i wouldn't be able to have the kids she said
good and the CSA said they will have to increase the amount i pay as i wouldn't be having them over night so that
would be a double blow.

I see loads of dads complaning about the CSA somthing needs to be done enough is enough as soon as they get you
you are classed as a absent father who don't see there kids and provide for them all because of a spitefull mother who
they listen to not thinking about the kids who should be the main concern.

It's hard having to leave your kids when the relationship is not working it took me years to have the courage to do so
but just as im trying to build up and start my life again this happens its very stressfull and when having to face not
being able to have your kids at weekends and take them places & buy them things out of your own money.

Hi

I'm afraid that the CSA take no account of your living conditions, nor the income or assets of the parent with care - its a simple calculations based on your income and, as you have found out, there Is an adjustment if you have your children for more than 52 Days each year. Although it is annoying that she is getting an additional income from you, you do have to bear in mind that there are expenses involved in maintaining your children, and you still keep 80% of your income.

Hi,

It should be calculations from both incomes it takes two to have kids, do you know how much it costs my ex to maintain
my kids taking into account all benfits, and how much does it cost me to have my kids every weekend. 80% sounds alot
but whats 80% of nothing worth.

The benfit system stinks as this made it easier for my ex to be better off, she didnt work for 13 years i payed for everything
she didnt care about me going because as soon as i did you was on the phone arranging her beffits now after 3 years she
has decided that she wants more, which the CSA is helping her get. If they told her that when claiming CSA she would lose
part of her benifts she would think twice.

The CSA should be chasing the absent fathers that dont see or provide for the kids not the easy targets which are working
paying taxes and providing a home for there children.