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I know that CSA payments can be spent on what ever the mother wishes to spend the money on, however I can see anywhere what in theory it is meant to pay for.
I can assume that as a minimum that it should cover food, clothing, roof over their heads etc...
But does it extend to going towards school uniforms, school trips etc...or is the mother within their rights to DEMAND payments towards these also....
Hi there 🙂
The amount the CSA says you must pay is the full amount and anything extra is purely at your discretion....so if demands for more are being made then you have the right to say no!
Some women use this as leverage to deny contact, even if you pay the correct amount. If she wants more this may result in her using contact with your children to get what she wants....When this happens then you have the option of Mediation or as a last resort, court for a defined Contact Order.
Thank you for your reply.
Is it reasonable for her to insist on one off payments towards school trips or could you argue that csa payments are designed to incorporate that sort of thing (i'm not talking thousands just a hundred or so!)
Whilst I want my son to enjoy and participate in all school trips, my only fear is that this could be a slippery slope to her demanding more in the future.!!
It really depends on how you feel about it. Strictly speaking, yes the payment calculated by the CSA is to cover everything and that includes school trips...she can't insist that you pay more. But you're right, it might mean that he doesn't get to participate fully in these extra curricular activities... I guess if its a trip to the local museum then that's something you would definitely expect the mother to cover, if its a week skiing in Austria at a cost of a few hundred pounds then I don't think it would be unreasonable to help towards those costs. ...unless of course she has a high income or a new partner that is a high earner.
If you are able to discuss this with her, it might be a good idea to suggest that a proportion of the maintenance is put into a separate account to cover these larger costs that crop up from time to time. 🙂
Hi gshock
Thank you for your post, I am William the Child Maintenance Options consultant. I understand that you would like to know what CSA payments are used for. Child maintenance is a contribution towards the cost of bringing up a child and this includes items such as food and clothing but also it is a contribution towards the home that the child lives in and the associated costs of running that home.
If you have a case with the Child Support Agency (CSA) they would calculate the amount of child maintenance payable, any additional payments you wish to contribute would be up to you. If you want to ensure that you son participates in extra school activities or school trips, you may wish to make additional payments to your maintenance. If you have any queries regarding your case you would need to contact them directly, as we are a different organisation to the CSA. 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.
If you have a family-based arrangement in place you may wish to discuss with your son's mother any additional payments. With a family-based arrangement there are no strict rules or formulas to follow, they are flexible to suit the needs of both parents and their children. You could discuss with your son's mother occasionally making additional payments when your son has extra activities to help with the cost of these. If either parent has a change in circumstances, negotiation also plays a big part in ensuring that payments continue. If you or your son's mother's or your son's circumstances change over time, remember to review and update your arrangement together. If you feel that mediation may help, you may find the following link useful, http://find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk/.
If you have a Consent Order in place you may wish to see what is stated in regards to you making any additional payment, alternatively, you may wish to seek legal advice. You can use the link provided above for finding further legal advice. In April 2013, the rules regarding entitlement to legal aid for family matters changed. For those people that no longer qualify, family mediation is available.
We have a sorting out separation web-app on our website at http://www.cmoptions.org/en/sortingoutseparation/index.asp that you may find useful as it offers help and support to separated families.
If you would like to talk to our team in complete confidence about child maintenance you could give us a ring on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on Saturday. We also have some other useful tools and leaflets available on our website at http://www.cmoptions.org to help support parents experiencing separations.
William
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