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Just seems to me that I'm not and I'm being crippled by paying for a rented flat on top of maintenance for my daughter that I worked out via the CSA calculator but not via them in person.
I have a good relationship with my daughter and my ex-wife, that is not the issue but I pay £450 for a 1 bedroomed flat (hard to get a decent place where I live that is both secure and clean etc).
I earn about £17,800 but at the moment I'm left with about £100 left and that doesn't include petrol and also I see my daughter each weekend and need to do stuff with her.
Am I entitled to anything except 25% off council tax? I can't go out anymore and therefore I'm depressed and going nowhere fast.
Hi Mike
Welcome to Dadtalk. I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling financially. You could try talking to your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice about whether you are entitled to any benefits. It may be worth checking with the CSA regarding maintenance to find out whether there are any reductions that can be made, rather than simply relying on the calculator.
If you feel you are becoming depressed then do talk to your GP, don't suffer and struggle on alone.
Hi Mike,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time at the moment. Rather than contact the CSA I would, if I were you, chat with our partners at Child Maintenance Options. They are able to help you to find the right child maintenance arrangement for you and your child, by giving you impartial information on all the options available to you.
Options can also provide practical support on many of the other issues you may face when parenting apart.
You can find a section on DadTalk about them here.
Their site is located here
or you can call them:
Call Child Maintenance Options in confidence on freephone*
0800 988 0988 From 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday / From 9 am to 4 pm Saturday
* Calls to 0800 numbers are free from BT landlines but you may have to pay if you use another phone company, a mobile phone, or if you are calling from abroad.
I hope this is of some help mate. Most importantly remember you are not alone, many dads in this community have gone through similar stuff, and we are more than happy to support you.
Gooner
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