[Solved] is there another option

Hi there,

I'm not sure what the £27 per week is about, could you give me a little more information....is this the amount of maintenance you have been asked to pay? Do you pay through the CSA?

yes the £27 per week is the maintenance i have to pay through CSA

Are the CSA aware that you are the parent with care of two children?

The CSA payment covers all expenses for the child so strictly speaking any extra is at your own discretion. I understand that you want to provide for your daughter but because of your financial situation it might be better to stop paying for the extras as it seems your ex and partner can well afford to pick up the shortfall.

There is a very informative sticky at the top of the Child Maintenance section here, it's called " how does the CSA calculate payments". It links to a CSA leaflet that goes into more depth about payments and also any reductions that you may be entitled to. You can also google the CSA calculator, input your details and it will give you an estimated amount you should be paying...it might be worth checking.

Thank you Jane, i have just been looking on the CSA site and calculated the amount myself and the amount is about the same, so i think its back to the unemployment office and my ex can settle for the £5 a week they deduct from my JSA

one more question: if i decide to carry on working and pay the maintenance can i pay it direct to my daughter so my ex dont get her mits on it

Unfortunately no they won't allow that I'm afraid....I'm sorry you feel that you can't continue in your job. What if you were to talk to the mother and ask her to accept a lesser amount. If you could renegotiate the amount so that its a little more than the £5pw she would get if you were on JSA, but not the £27 the CSA want to take, do you think she might agree to that? She would have to contact the CSA and tell them that you have reached a family based agreement and want to cancel the CSA agreement though.

I have left a message for her to call me so we can discuss it, i will let you know the outcome

Thanks flour, I'm interested to know what she will say!

It gets better lol, I just worked out my money again and if i pay this £27 per week i will be working for minus £172 per month thats £172 less than what i would get if i was unemployed :huh:

So even without taking the extra CSA payment into account you would still be £64pw worse off! Oh dear that's not very motivating is it.

£64 per month but still i am working for nothing :sick:

Not good...I feel for you flour.

Hi flour.

Thank you for your post. I am William the Child Maintenance Options consultant.

As Nannyjane has said, if you are paying child maintenance through the Child Support Agency (CSA), they would only expect you to pay the amount they have calculated, any extra you pay is purely voluntary on your part. Any money paid through the CSA would also have to be paid to a bank account of your ex-partner's choice, so unless she agrees otherwise you would have to make the payments to her rather than your daughter.

The CSA should be made aware of any changes to your circumstances. If you have any further questions for the CSA, or you wish to inform them of your change of circumstances, you will need to contact them directly. Their contact details can be found on any letter they have sent you, or this website www.gov.uk/child-support-agency provides their contact details.

I can also see that it has been suggested that you try and negotiate a family-based arrangement for your daughter.

A family-based arrangement is simply an agreement between the two of you about who will provide what for your daughter. It is not legally binding but it is flexible, so it allows you and your ex-partner to negotiate an agreement that suits you both. It does not just have to be money, it can include other kinds of support, for example providing clothes or paying for a mobile phone bill. A family-based arrangement is also completely private and it is made without involving the CSA or needing to disclose personal information to a third party.

To help to set up a family-based arrangement, we have useful tools and leaflets that you may find helpful. You will find these on our website at: http://www.cmoptions.org.

Alternatively, if you wish to consider mediation to help you set up a family-based arrangement, Gov.uk also has a service which may help you to find a mediator in your area. You can find this at http://www.find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk/

If you would like to know more about family-based arrangements, Child Maintenance Options can help you. Visit cmoptions.org or call us free on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on Saturday.

We also have a sorting out separation web-app that you may find useful, it offers help and support to separating families. The link is: http://www.dad.info/divorce-and-separation/sorting-out-separation