[Solved] WHEN DO YOU STOP PAYING CSA PYTS

Hi Lillie

Its my understanding that -

Its up to the age of 16 if the child has left school.

Up to the age of 20 if the child remains in full time non advanced education or approved training and the parent they live with is still receiving child benefit.

University is advanced so you would not be liable but might still want to support them....that would be an informal agreement as your statutory liability stops.

Hi Lillie.

Thank you for your post. My name is Sarah I am a Child Maintenance Options consultant.

The Child Support Agency (CSA) guidelines state that child maintenance is generally still paid while your son's other parent is still in receipt of Child Benefit payments and your son 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. For child maintenance purposes a child is anyone under 16, or someone between 16 and 20 who is not, or has ever been, married or in a civil partnership. 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.

The definition of full-time education is more than 12 hours a week of study, on a course up to and including A level standard. Some examples of non-advanced education are:
O level, GCE, GCSE, A level, AS level
SCE Higher Grade or equivalent
GNVQ, NVQ levels 1 2 and 3
BTEC National Diploma
SCOTVEC National Certificate
Scottish Certificate of 6th Year Studies
Foundation Arts Course
Secretarial Course with GCSE entry
NNEB
Hairdressing Courses

If your son were in advanced or higher education, he would no longer qualify for child maintenance. Some examples of advanced and higher education are:
Degree
NVQ level 4 and above
DHE
HND
BTEC, NHC, HND
SCTVEC, HNC, HND
Teacher Training

The above list is not exhaustive, so if you have any further questions or if you would like to clarify the information above, you may wish to speak to the CSA directly. You can find contact details on any letter the CSA have sent to you. Or, you can find the right number here: https://www2.dwp.gov.uk/csa/v2/en/contact/index.asp.

To find out more about how Child Maintenance Options can help you and access to useful tools and forms online you can visit http://www.cmoptions.org, or if you would prefer a confidential chat you could call the Child Maintenance Options team on 0800 988 0988 (free from a landline).

We also have a sorting out separation web-app, it aims to make it much easier for separated parents to find the support they need, when and where they need it, and encourages parents to collaborate on a range of issues. The link is: http://www.dad.info/divorce-and-separation/sorting-out-separation

Sarah

Hi,

My eldest son finished his A levels in May, he will be 19 in October and has signed up with an agency for various work. Everyone is very secretive on what he is actually doing. I think he plans to take a year out before possible university. When do his maintenance payments stop, and will I still be paying if he goes to university?

If your son has finished his A levels in May and has left school then your CSA payments should continue until September. If he starts paid work before september though, his mothers eligibility for child benefit should stop and that should mean the CSA payments should stop too.

University is considered as advanced education and you will not be expected to pay maintenance.

My sons 16 on the 26th of this month, due to the new law where a child no longer can leave school at 16, does that mean I still have to pay for him until he either leaves school or start an apprentice ?

Whilst he is in non advanced full time education or approved training you are still liable up until he is 20 or he leaves school or training. There's a post about 4 above this one from Child Maintenance Options that explains it in more detail.

My youngest daughter is 19 (dob 1/5/1994). She is starting a degree course at the University of the Arts in London this month. I have just received notification from the CSA that I am still legally required to pay child support until 29/08/2014, when she will be over 20 years old. Last year she left home to study for a Foundation Diploma in Textiles at the University of the Arts. Apparently this was not considered to be advanced education when I raised the matter with the CSA. I am quite willing to directly give my daughter as much support as possible during her studies but resent having to continue to make payments through my former wife. I assume she must still be in receipt of Child Benefit but am reluctant to raise the matter with HMRC again, having made a fool of myself last year in reporting it. Apparently going to University is no longer automatically viewed as advanced education.

If your daughter is starting a degree course at University this is considered as advanced education and you should not be liable for CSA payments. I think you need to push this with the CSA , they aren't not always right!

If you take a look at the stickys at the top of this section you will see one called "appealing CSA decisions"....this mentions your issue specifically and provides a link to appealing the decision.

Just found out my son is working 22 hours a week in asda, finished his a levels, and I think taking a year out before university. I have emailed the csa four times, and they replied once to say they didn't recognise my ref number! No other reply! Can I find out whether the mother is still getting child benefit for him?

I'd ring them rather than email - it's a bit harder to ignore. Your reference number should be your NI number.

Another similar story - I have two children, the eldest has just finished her A-levels and the younger has turned 16, but is autistic and has been attending a special school up until July this year. I do not know if either of them are still at college / going to university etc

Their mother is extremely secretive, to the point that she has requested the schools post no information on their social media or websites that refer to them and she has stopped either of them having any social network presence so I have no way of getting in touch. I have tried to go through her, but have just been ignored to date.

When we separated, in 2007 a court order for child maitenance was put in place and I have paid this on time every month, despite having to unsuccessfully go through the courts to try to maintain contact (their mother ignored any requests by the judge to resolve issues and put so many conditions on any contact that contact was effectively made impossible).

I have no idea where I now stand as regards payments - I suspect my daughter (the older child) is going to university now and the younger child could be either in adult care, attending a special needs college, or even now in a residential unit. Is there any way to find out?

I have tried social services, but they have been told by my ex that I do not have parental responsibility (not true, but how do I prove this?) and so have refused to tell me anything, even when requested in writing.

I have tried social services, but they have been told by my ex that I do not have parental responsibility (not true, but how do I prove this?) and so have refused to tell me anything, even when requested in writing.

Are you on theyre birth certificate? If you are can you get a copy and send it to SS?

Regards,

Dave

Sorry I can't offer you any advice Dennis39, but I do feel your pain and frustration. The whole system is appalling. My oldest son has now been removed from the system, which is good news, but the damage to my bank account is beyond repair and I will probably have to start bankruptcy proceedings soon or pray for a miracle! As for the damage to my relationship, I don't know. We had so much planned, wedding, buying a home, family. My girlfriends dreams and hopes all destroyed in one phone call from the CSA! She cries a lot and I just don't know what to say or do to make the misery of everything go away. I see the CSA from both sides, as I am being destroyed but my brother in law just tells the CSA that he has retired (he is working also),as he left the army and pays £5 a month and that was after a fight and can't even be bothered to see them or support them in any way shape or form and it is losers like him that cripple us that want to do the best for our children. oh and very disturbed ex partners! I hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those of you suffering difficulties seeing or supporting your children and wish you all the best.

Seems the CSA are [censored] bent in continuing hound parents for payments even when it is clear the payment are no longer required.

The experience I've had with the CSA are enough to put me off from having anymore children 😮

At times, I really do believe they get some kind of benefit out of keeping parents in the system longer than they need to be.

I see the CSA from both sides, as I am being destroyed but my brother in law just tells the CSA that he has retired (he is working also),as he left the army and pays £5 a month and that was after a fight and can't even be bothered to see them or support them in any way shape or form and it is losers like him that cripple us that want to do the best for our children.

That is exactly the problem - the CSA was set up to deal with a problem and the sheer number of cases means they have to apply a formula - some get away scott free, others are stuffed by the system because of those people. The CSA isn't the root of the problem - the real problem are non resident parents who won't face up to their responsibilities, and the rest end up paying.

I've got the pleasure of 2 cases with the CSA, one for my Eldest child that I have no contact with (though her younger siblings are), and another for my youngest three. Recently my ex partner of my youngest three has decided that the CSA are awful and has asked if we can return to a private arrangment.

Needless to say I was more than happy to accept. Upon speaking to the CSA I enquired about how long I need to pay for my Eldest child on the first case, as they are now 20 and a half, has been in full time employment for their last two years and isn't enrolled in any kind of further education.

I was informed it would be until the next birthday (21), I was also informed that I was in credit with the other account and would likely get that money returned once the case was closed.

A couple of hours later I got a call whilst at work, again from the CSA, to inform me that they had closed my eldest childs account as from November 2013, and because of this there was now arrears on the Second account. Needless to say I was gobsmacked at this, as this inferred that as there was an overpayment to account 1, I would have to pay the missing money to Account 2 as they were entitled to it, I was told that "Its not that bad you have credit on your account, so that will cover most of it". I was rather angry so after a few choice words I left it for the time being.

I have spoken to the CSA today and actually got a nice lady that seemed to know what she was talking about, I enquired when I should have stopped paying for my eldest and was told that as her Mother was still recieving Child Benefit upto the week before her 20th Birthday, she was entitled to payment up until then.

I mentioned that fact that she was in full time employment and had been for some time, but the lady just reiterated that it goes off Child Benefit payments.

So after looking up a few things, it would appear that as my Eldest did a couple of terms at college between 16 & 17, I should really have stopped paying for her (I realise that the difference in the money would then transfer to the second account and that I would be no better off anyway) when she hit 18 (In November, she would have left college around the March before).

To me this means she's now had 2+ years of money that wasn't owed to her, and could infact have gone to my youngest trio.

I realise I sound bitter, but I have always paid for this child, never missing a payment and was involved in her life up until 16 when issues with her mother stopped contact.

Is there any advice about who I should be speaking to regarding this over payment, as all the CSA will say is that she was recieving Child Benefits so was entitled to it, but surely it can't be that simple? They did say they would claim the overpaid money back from her and I would recieve a seperate call regarding this.

As for the outstanding money from account 2, I'm just going to bite the bullet, pay the lump sum they want and then start a private arrangment. My blood pressure cant take any more dealings with these people 🙁

Until they are 21??? Again another CSA worker that hasn't got a clue!

I would write to your MP and also lodge a complaint with the CSA (not that it will probably do any good as they will say you should have rang them when your eldest left college at 16/17)

They amaze me when they say they will claim the over payment back from the PWC, it will never happen or if it did it would be something stupid like £1 a week or if they are on benefits they won't touch them

Thank you for the reply Huxley,

I have to admit to being very Naive with the CSA, I assumed that as they were brought in against my wishes, and the fact I had no say about either the amounts paid or who they were being paid too, that they were responsible for all of that.

I therefore (wrongly in this case) assumed that as the money was deducted directly from my wages by the CSA, that it would be apportioned correctly by them. As I said I have no contact with my eldest, I only know that shes been in full time employment as my younger children informed me.

I again assumed that they checked with the ex partners to see if their circumstances had changed, as they were the instigators of the claims.

I was really hoping that as (At least this is how I see it) I have given them my money, and they have incorrectly apportioned it to a party not entitled to recieve it, that I couldn't possibly be responsible for any underpayment to the other party again due to their error.

I was quite confident that they would bully the overpaid party in a similar way to how they did me when they re-assessed me following her claim, and take the money back at a rate that would be difficult to afford. I'm now getting the impression that i might not see the overpaid £500+ 🙁 As I said I also suspect it has been overpaid for far longer.

I sort of wish I hadn't have asked now, I'm going to struggle to sleep tonight. 🙁

Yes you do need to keep on top of the CSA unfortunately they don't check if circumstances have changed off their own back

I expect I will be in this situation when mine get to 17/18 as the ex is likely still to claim CB and not tell them

Surely in this day and age the CSA should be able to look into the child benefit situation, not just shrug it off saying "it's still being paid to the PWC therefor CSA is still due" when we all know the PWC is fraudently claiming

I would defiantly write to your MP and explain that CB is still being claiming when it shouldn't and you are paying CSA still when it's not due, my MP was quite good (different situation to yours), he wrote to the chief executive of the CSA, who then passed the buck to one of his minions it did move things along though

I think that in these cases, it's not the CSA's fault, but the benefits office who seem to be very slow. We recently had a form saying that as my daughter was approaching 16, child benefit would stop unless we declared that she was continuing in education (and have to state where) - so it's not a matter of failing to inform the benefits office that a child has left - there is a definite active act to give false information, it's fraud pure and simple, and they should be clamping down hard on it.

I quite agree actd, this is the thing thats left the bitterest taste in my mouth, Either no checks were made by the benefits office or my ex blatantly lied about her circumstances and yet its the like of myself that have to foot the bill. To add insult to injury, On some of the paperwork I recieved today is the paragraph -

"It is a criminal offence for anyone who is liable to pay child maintenance to fail to tell us of a change of address....
As someone who is liable to pay child maintenance, if you change your address and don't tell us within 7 days, you may be subject to criminal proceedings and a penalty of up to £1000"

Yet little interest in either sorting out their own mistakes or looking into potential fraudulent claims :*(

I think that in these cases, it's not the CSA's fault, but the benefits office who seem to be very slow. We recently had a form saying that as my daughter was approaching 16, child benefit would stop unless we declared that she was continuing in education (and have to state where) - so it's not a matter of failing to inform the benefits office that a child has left - there is a definite active act to give false information, it's fraud pure and simple, and they should be clamping down hard on it.

I didn't know they wrote just before the child approaches 16, so if at 16 the child is continuing in education do they write again at regular interverals to see if they have left? Or is this where it all goes wrong, they don't follow up and neither does the PWC

The PWC could act dim and say "oh I didn't realise I had to inform them again"

I didn't know they wrote just before the child approaches 16, so if at 16 the child is continuing in education do they write again at regular interverals to see if they have left? Or is this where it all goes wrong, they don't follow up and neither does the PWC

The PWC could act dim and say "oh I didn't realise I had to inform them again"

I didn't know either until we got the letter 😀 though my wife remembers getting them for our other children, so it's not new. The child benefit for the older children did stop when they finished A levels, so I think we got letters then also.

Did you have to inform them they had finished A levels actd?

Unfortunately, I can't remember - but the form we've just filled in did ask when the course finishes, so I would guess that we will get another letter in a couple of years to say that it's stopping.

Much as I hate to say it, the CSA did get me a full refund on my "overpayment" just a shame it took months. Luckily my ex has now reverted back to the original voluntary payment. Aaaaaaaaaaargh! Women! 🙂

Hi

My daughter will be 18 this February and I'm pretty sure she isn't at college or is she going to university.i haven't seen her since she was 11 years old too.
Csa didn't take any money from my December pay packet and when I phoned my administration department i was told that a new order has been made and it will be taken from January's pay packet. (I have had monies taken out of my wages automatically for over 7 years) Now when I asked the end Time he said it was December but I thought it stopped when they was 18 and in the first week of new term in September?
Do I have to pay csa still until September this year? Or will it carry on until she is 20 years old .I am confused slightly.

How do csa confirm or deny that my daughter is or isn't going to college or on full time education or do they go by the fact that her mum is still claiming family credit or whatever it's called?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Generally, you continue paying until the September following the end of the course (assuming it finishes June/July) - ultimately it's determined by whether the mother is claiming child benefit and that is what the CMS use, If the mother is claiming child benefit fraudulently, then that's a matter for the benefits office.

Hello Wizardfire

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. Before 10 December 2012, the upper age limit was 19.

However, if your child was 19 after this date and in full-time education, maintenance would be paid until the age of 20. In addition, if arrears have built up on a case, those arrears must still be paid, even if regular child maintenance payments have stopped.

When a child leaves full-time education in the summer, Child Benefit generally continues until the first week of September. If you would like further information on the courses that are classed as full-time education and when child maintenance payments end, you may find the following link useful https://www.gov.uk/when-child-maintenance-payments-stop.

With you having a case with the Child Support Agency (CSA) you may wish to contact them directly to discuss your concerns on when your payments will end. You will 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 different ways to set up child maintenance, you can visit the Child Maintenance Options website at http://www.cmoptions.org.

The DWP have a sorting out separation web-app that 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,

The www.Gov.uk website...

https://www.gov.uk/when-child-maintenance-payments-stop

says that..

"Child maintenance payments usually stop when the child reaches 16 (or 20 if they’re in full-time education not higher than A-level or equivalent). But there are some situations in which they’ll stop sooner."

To me, this says that that, if a child is under 20 and NOT in full time education, then you shouldn't have to pay child maintenance.

However, the CSA are taking the approach that you have to pay while the parent is receiving child benefit. This directly contradicts the www.gov.uk website.

So, is the Government website wrong? Surely the CSA are there to implement government legislation, not make up their own rules?

Cheers
Roy

I've just noticed that William posted the same link above, however, I dispute the last part of the statement "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." as I can't see it stated anywhere on the website.

Hello Roy

To confirm the Gov. website does state that child maintenance payments should be paid while Child Benefit is in place.

An example of that can be found here, https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance/eligibility. This page shows what makes someone eligible to claim child maintenance.

Regards

William

Dear all, I have read a lot about Child Maintenance, however there is the last thing I am trying to understand. My step-daughter turned 18 in April and finishes her A-levels this summer, thus it is my understanding we shall stop paying Child Maintenance on 31st August (last payment in July).
- CSA employees kindly clarified non-advanced education above
- Gov.uk says (between the age of 16 and 20, if the child is enrolled full-time in school (more than 12 hours per week and the course is up to and including A level), child maintenance for the child must be paid)

Question: if my step-daughter decides to go to the college (after she already achieved A-level) and takes a course which would be considered non-advance education (e.g. NVQ Level 3 or BTEC), does it mean we still need to continue to pay child maintenance until her 20th birthday? Thank you very much

Hi

Yes, you are correct in both, in that your payments finish in August (might be Spetember) if she leaves education, but if she goes into non-advanced education, then you continue until her 20th birthday, or until she leaves the non-advanced education, whichever comes first.