[Solved] WHEN DO YOU STOP PAYING CSA PYTS

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.