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CSA Woes
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Does any have any experience of something to this regarding the CSA, I would like some ideas how to progress with it, seeing as it is something that I need resolving before 20/12/2010, which given the glacier slow pace of the CSA, i may struggle with 
Basically the CSA deduct my child maintainence fees directly from my wage, which is all well and good, but now I have gotten a new job, I will not receive a full wage with my December paycheque, so I will receive about £400, before tax, of which the CSA will take £202.
Getting paid under £200 a week before Christmas is going to financially cripple me, yet I have just rung the CSA and they will do nothing about it, the drone I spoke to (and hung up on in a fit of rage) said that there is nothing whatsoever that they could do about it and would collect the full £200 regardless...although I bet if I earnt more that month they would want to do something about it..
I'm aware of my rights with the CSA and according to article 2 of the Child Support Act of 1991 any decision they make has to consider any negative impact on the welfare of children still living with me (of which there are two), which being paid just under 1/3 of my usual wage will definately do.
In the past I have had to involve my MP regarding the matter but am not sure if it will get resolved in time that way.
any ideas how to make the miserable bastards do something?
Basically the CSA deduct my child maintainence fees directly from my wage, which is all well and good, but now I have gotten a new job, I will not receive a full wage with my December paycheque, so I will receive about £400, before tax, of which the CSA will take £202.
Getting paid under £200 a week before Christmas is going to financially cripple me, yet I have just rung the CSA and they will do nothing about it, the drone I spoke to (and hung up on in a fit of rage) said that there is nothing whatsoever that they could do about it and would collect the full £200 regardless...although I bet if I earnt more that month they would want to do something about it..
I'm aware of my rights with the CSA and according to article 2 of the Child Support Act of 1991 any decision they make has to consider any negative impact on the welfare of children still living with me (of which there are two), which being paid just under 1/3 of my usual wage will definately do.
In the past I have had to involve my MP regarding the matter but am not sure if it will get resolved in time that way.
any ideas how to make the miserable bastards do something?
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As you have dependants, and taking into consideration other household bills, the CSA must leave you with a reasonable amount to live on. Speak to your employer.
ruby
So - your solution is to make sure that your ex and child have significantly less money just before Christmas instead, is that right?
My ex's household income is double mine, she doesn't need the money, she just takes it because she can.
Kthxbai.
She's entitled to it though....
She is, but then again, they have to consider any negative impact that decision has, which this definately will have.
I have no problem paying the CSA, however would appreciate them to actually behave like human beings with a degree of empathy and understanding to situations outside of my control.
And don't get me started on the fact that child support should be means tested on both sides, its literally insane that it isn't :P
Yes, that's just what is wrong. Everybody feels that they are entitled to something, regardless of any detriment to the people who have to provide those entitlements.
Its being taken directly from his wages, no DD or SO to cancel.
Thanks ruby36 and MeanMint
I missed that. Bad luck OP. I left my job and became self-employed partly because of this very situation.
because you didn't want to pay CSA ?
No problems, Mate. Glad it's sorted. Not sure why you are not given a copy of the schedule that is supllied to your employer, but a simple call or visit to your HR/Payroll will give the info.
Because I didn't want to pay, or be dictated to by the CSA, that is correct. My ex partner had no say in their involvement, as it was automatic due to her claiming other benefits at the time. Their assessment was mutually agreed by both of us to be ridiculous, and their methods appalling. Some adjustment of pay structure led to me being able to pay child support in a way that suited us, not them.
He's paying for his kids, how is that wrong.
You're welcome. Glad it's sorted and you won't be eating the wallpaper this xmas.:)
ruby
The OP indicated that the PWC would be solvent financially anyway, so where it becomes wrong is when "entitlement" is just blurted out, overriding and disregarding temporary incidents in personal circumstance like this.
The kids costs will be fairly constant. Although they do tend to go up a bit in December.
its not about the fact of paying for your kids its the way the csa go about it that winds people up!!
Well yeah I agree they go from one extreme to the other.
Apparantly someone I know gets £5 a week from her ex which is ridiculous really. I might be forced to go the CSA route myself soon but am sure it will be a waste of my time.
That's true. If your ex isn't working then he'll pay £5 a week from his benefits. It's pathetic.
I went to the CSA ( Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division in NI now, dunno about the rest of the UK.) and it took them near 7 years to get my ex to pay anything.
IMO they don't do enough.
If you are a working father though, they can't hide their delight, and look to make you pay, in spirit, for all the f3ckless dads that don't. They're an awful department. My ex eventually came off benefits, as she got re-married, and despite pleas from her for them to have no further involvement in our private arrangement, their threatening and bullying ways continued for a good while.
Is it still the CSA over in the rest of the UK ?
With this new thing they brought in over in NI you can opt to sort it out between yourselves, in fact they encourage it., rather than them get involved.
If it can be sorted out between the two parties excellent. Unfortunately there are idiots out there who would rather keep all their money to themselves rather than pay for their kids.
+1 in my opinion getting the CSA involved increases the emnity between split parents, purely because their attitude is to screw money out of the non residential parent whatever the cost. They literally don't give a shit.
Several times I've been on the phone to them and they've said in a smug manner "we can take 40% from your wage if we want to, your money issues are not our problem"
Trying to explain to them that forcing you to forsake rent or utility bills to pay them, is only going to increase the difficulty of paying them in future months, when you have larger arrears to catch up with etc, but no, they just want to squeeze more out of you.
I was very lucky, in that my ex was (and still is) an exceptionally reasonable and fair woman. She knew herself what was a fair figure, and what wasn't. She didn't enforce her "entitlement" like most other people did, she was happy with what we agreed. The CSA had other ideas though, and for a short period, we had a ridiculous situation where my ex was actually giving me money back. I appreciate the principle behind their existence, but their inflexible, man-hating, one-size-fits-all approach to child support is horrendous.