My partners ex has just made a claim to the CSA. His quite stressed about it. Due to covid his works really dried up and he is relying on Universal credit for most of his money. At present he completes a four hour round trip to pick up his children which also includes till charges and congestion charges etc which takes a huge chunk from his minimal payments. Would this be taken into account? Many thanks of course he wants to contribute to his children but at the moment it’s crippling him
Hi,
He could try contact CMS and ask can he claim for travel expenses. It says down there that he can't if on benefits. But he is working and getting Universal credit, so maybe there is a chance he can still claim it. Can try asking them. Also does he have any other children living with him? if so, he may be able to reduce payments further.
When a paying parent can apply for variation
If you are a paying parent you can ask for certain expenses, which reduce your gross income, to be taken into account. These are called 'special expenses' and are for:
You can apply for a ‘special expenses variation’ for:
- the cost of keeping up regular contact with a child or children you are paying child maintenance for – for example, the cost of fuel to travel between your home and the child’s home (must be at least £10 a week)
- A paying parent cannot ask us to take special expenses into account if their gross income is less than £7 a week or if they are getting benefits.
My partners ex has just made a claim to the CSA. His quite stressed about it. Due to covid his works really dried up and he is relying on Universal credit for most of his money. At present he completes a four hour round trip to pick up his children which also includes till charges and congestion charges etc which takes a huge chunk from his minimal payments. Would this be taken into account? Many thanks of course he wants to contribute to his children but at the moment it’s crippling him
The cms are told how much they can adjust by per mileage and per engine size of car. It's a preset defined by the government. Keep receipts of the charges and tolls - bear in mind the receiving resident parent will have to approve any claims, so provide as much evidence as possible - recipts etc.