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Hi Everyone,
Just a quickie, I have just received a letter from the CSA (my first). They have stated that my ex-partner whom I have two children with would like them to collect child maintenance on her behalf. My primary issue is that she has asked them to collect it for her with no attempt by herself to come to any agreement regarding payment - apparently if they collect it for her I am liable to pay and additional 20% fee to CSA for the privilege?
I have no issue regarding paying maintenance, but I do not see why I should pay 20% extra when my ex-partner who is seemingly frustrating the process. I have not spoken to CSA yet, but what is likely to happen should I mention that I am happy to pay the given amount directly to her should she provide Post Office/Bank account details? What will happen should she say that she refuses to provide me with these to enable payment? Surely this is not a fault of mine, and I should not be liable to pay the 20% still?
Kind thanks in advance.
The rules governing these extra payments for administering claims does not come into effect until next year. When it happens your ex partner will also have to pay a 7% charge on any money that is collected on her behalf. As the new system isn't up and running yet I'm not clear on the finer details of it but I will try and find out whether, as you are willing to make a private arrangement, if she will have to comply.
For the moment, until these rules come in, I would be inclined to pay via the CSA just because it's the best record you have that you have paid.
Hi
I’m William, the Child Maintenance Options Consultant.
Thank you for your post. I’m sorry to hear you are having difficulty arranging child maintenance with your ex, but I will try and answer some of the points you’ve raised.
Later in the year, the government will open the Child Maintenance Service for all new statutory scheme applications. From that point, the Child Support Agency (CSA) will no longer accept new applications, however it will continue to manage the existing cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes (including your wife’s application as she has applied to the 2003 scheme).
The Child Maintenance Service will eventually replace the Child Support Agency to leave one single child maintenance scheme.
The government is proposing to introduce fees and charging to use the Child Maintenance Service only.
There are no plans to apply charges and fees to cases managed by the Child Support Agency.
It’s not law yet but the government plans to introduce fees in March 2014 for:
• new applications to the Child Maintenance Service
• using the Collect & Pay service (where payments are set up and managed for clients), and
• enforcement action it takes against paying parents who don’t voluntarily pay in full and on time.
The government are proposing to introduce fees and charges because it wants to encourage more parents to think about working together to arrange child maintenance instead of using the Child Maintenance Service or the courts.
Under the plans it's proposed there will be:
• a one-off £20 fee for new applications to the Child Maintenance Service
• a 20% collection fee per payment for paying parents using Collect & Pay
• a 4% collection fee taken off each payment passed on to the receiving parent for using Collect & Pay
• a range of charges for the different enforcement action the Child Maintenance Service can take against paying parents when a payment is missed or not made in full. For example, a one-off £50 charge for a paying parent for setting up a deduction from earnings order.
There will be no collection fees for parents who pay and receive child maintenance using Direct Pay. Direct Pay is when the Child Maintenance Service works out the amount of child maintenance a paying parent must pay, but parents agree between themselves how and when payments are made.
Without a good reason – such as proof of previous missed payments – the Child Maintenance Service cannot force the paying parent to use Collect & Pay and therefore incur collection fees
If the Direct Pay arrangement breaks down, collection fees will apply if the case moves onto the Collect & Pay arrangement.
Parents can agree to work together and set up their own family-based arrangement rather than use the statutory child maintenance scheme through the Child Maintenance Service or Child Support Agency
A http://www.dad.info/child-maintenance-options/a-family-arrangemen t">family-based arrangement is when parents work together to sort out child maintenance between themselves, without the involvement of anyone else
Please contact Child Maintenance Options on 0800 988 0988 or http://www.cmoptions.org /">www.cmoptions.org.uk for more information, support and guidance on child maintenance.
Thanks
William
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