CSA Arrears

[Simon1959]

I Have always paid my CSA i have no problem with supporting my children , however i am in the process of being re assesed , as i earn more i would expect to pay more again i have no problem with this

As they have asked for 3 wage slips (one of which that i dont have ) there will inevitably be a delay as i,m told that the new rate will run from when the reassesment was requested approx four weeks at present

My question is do i have to pay the arrears of in full or can i be given time to pay in installments if i can pay in installments is there a time limit that it should be paid in eg 6months, a year ,etc

Thanks in advance

[ashmk]

Generally the CSA like to get arrears repaid in 2 years although they tend to put pressure on people to get it paid asap because thats the sort of heartless evil bloodsucking parasites they are.

[Simon1959]

Thanks

[Simon1959]

as i pay by direct debit do they have to give me notice that my payment is going up or is it the case that i get a letter on the 31st saying its going up x amount plus the arrears and it goes out on the 1st as per usual without having a chance to sort out a payment plan for the arrears

[Stressedandfedup]

Any increase in the amount that needs to b taken on the DD they must send u a new schedule 14 working days before its due (this is banking standard). U should also get a call and letter to advise u of ur new assessment. If ur income hadn't gone significantly up, then neither should ur new assessment.

Best thing u can do is put aside a few pounds so when they do call u to say ur new liability is x amount/week and therefore from effective date to the schedule run date, the resulting arrests r z amount, and ask if u can pay it off (over and done with) or part of it, u can pay it by debit card over the phone. Any arrears left can b paid 'reasonably' over a period of time. If its a small amount, they will expect u to clear it within a few payments of the DD. if they cannot get hold of u by phone to discuss the arrears then they will most likely run the schedule with max arrears amount they can legally put. As its DD u'll have time to call in and say its too much (if it is) and negotiate it down a bit. If u can pay a bit over the phone at that time they will more likely oblige.

If u r happy to clear the arrears over, say 3 months, then they can't really fault u. If u say 'ok I can't pay that off straight away but if I can pay 'n' amount to clear it in 4 months I can do that happily' they can't really argue.

If u have children living with u, u can also use the phrase 'welfare of the child' as if taking full arrears every month would put that child in potential poverty then the CSA must reduce the arrears amount to b paid every month.

[Simon1959]

Hii i was paying or am paying my child support and have paid every month since the order was made in Oct 2011 , two months into the order in Dec 2011 my ex decided to have my income reassesed , i sent off my three wage slips wich they recieved and returned in Jan 2012

I heard nothing more about it and continued to pay the required amount then in June2012 i recieved another request for re assesment which i sent again three more wage slips then in July 2012 i was sent a new figure which i have to pay which is a £44 per month increase the letter stated that a payment schedule would be forwarded to me shortly

This amount is for the original re assesment from Dec 2011 , does anyone know my options for re paying , or appealling against the under payments as 8 months back payments have been loaded onto me through no fault of my own , also i still have the second re assesment stil going through

Thanks

[Simon1959]

Is it correct that the old system takes inti account your partners income if so how do you know if your on the old system is it before a certain date

[ErikaPNP]

'Old' cases (referred to as CSA1) are cases which were active before 3rd March 2003. New cases (CSA2) are after that date.

[Simon1959]

Still no contact from CSA ,my employer recieved a letter last week asking for pay information , this is info that i had already sent to them via wage slips that they had asked for and have since returned to me

[Ros1609]

The same happened to me and my ex. We've since learnt this is very common with the CSA. My ex had to pay £700+ in a back payment in one lump sum as they wouldn't accept it in installments which I would have been perfectly happy with. It isn't your fauly admittedly but this is money you owe your child(ren) so one way or another it needs to be paid. Have they given you the option of installments or are they insisting on a lump sum?

 

If you google 'appealing a CSA decision' you'll find a link to the CSA Appeals booklet and that will tell you how to appeal

[Simon1959]

No they havn,t even contacted me , sorry to be curt but i am aware of my responsibility regarding the financial welfare of my children and the need for the backpayment to be paid but bankrupting myself and being forced to live on benefits to have my rent paid doesnt help my children, myself or the tax payer

[Ros1609]

I completely understand your situation. Like I said they did it to me and my ex husband - made him pay in one lump sum. I think you need to contact them and see what they have to say

[Simon1959]

I have they said that , they would ring me back with an amount when they have calculated it if i was as efficient as the CSA i wouldnt have to worry about the payments as i,d have been sacked by now

[Simon1959]

Hii i was paying or am paying my child support and have paid every month since the order was made in Oct 2011 , two months into the order in Dec 2011 my ex decided to have my income reassesed , i sent off my three wage slips wich they recieved and returned in Jan 2012

I heard nothing more about it and continued to pay the required amount then in June2012 i recieved another request for re assesment which i sent again three more wage slips then in July 2012 i was sent a new figure which i have to pay which is a £44 per month increase the letter stated that a payment schedule would be forwarded to me shortly

This amount is for the original re assesment from Dec 2011 , does anyone know my options for re paying , or appealling against the under payments as 8 months back payments have been loaded onto me through no fault of my own , also i still have the second re assesment stil going through

Thanks

 

At long last they have a monthly figure for me to pay it took them from Oct 2011 to March 2013 , however they are taking 40% of my income to pay off the arrears that they created

On a brighter note my ex has brought herself a 50inch 3D TV with money she will be getting

In 12 months it will drop to 25% i make sure as im on a bonus system my wages stay exactly the same as when i was assessed

[Simon1959]

My CSA payments are about to end, my ex pays £5 per week as he is unemployed and has been since we split , he didn't want to help pay for our 4 children when he ran off

He currently owes 300 pounds the csa have told me that the case will be closed in September when the youngest comes off the claim

They have told me that the arrears cannot be taken off his jobseekers allowance when the claim ends and the case will be closed

Can I insist that the claim remains open , as I have been told I must make a new claim when he starts to work, I assume that this would be opened under the csa 3 rules meaning I have to pay to open a claim for money that he owes from csa1

Edited July 5, 2014 by Simon1959
spelling

[Stressedandfedup]

If he owes arrears it's most likely the case will be sent to court to obtain a liability order. Once that is done they may refer case to bailiffs. If you get a letter asking for info, put as much info as you are sure of. For example, if you know he has inheritance coming to him; or if he has a tv that's worth something etc etc.

The CSA may convince him to make payments to clear the debt.

When the day the case will be closed, they mean for ongoing liability for regular maintenance. It will still remain open for arrears collection.

If your children are still qualifying, you will be able to open a new claim with the new child maintenance service. That's the one where it charges.

There maybe a rule somewhere that says you can challenge to decision to close your current case but I am unaware of it.