[Solved] What to do

Are the CSA claiming back to 2004? The CSA can only start a claim from the point that the mother makes a claim. If she put a claim in back in 2004 your son should have received letters from them. If he didn't then he should contact them in the first instance.

I need to warn you that the CSA are notoriously bad at taking the paying parents circumstances into account. They are not interested in any outgoings, only on the salary earned so that they can take a percentage of it.

There is a sticky at the top of the Legal Eagle section called "How does the CSA calculate payments" ...it links to a helpful CSA leaflet that might be worth having a look at. You can also google CSA calculator, input the information about salary and get an amount that you should be paying.

Your son can ask for DNA if there is doubt about his paternity but he would have to pay for the test and continue to pay the maintenance until the results came back. If it turns out he is not the father then he should be reimbursed for the cost of the test and money he's already paid.

Hi Worried Mother

I'm William the Child Maintenance Options consultant. You have mentioned that your son has had a letter from the Child Support Agency (CSA) stating they are going to be taking £80 week child maintenance including arrears.

I understand you would like help with your son's existing CSA case. At Child Maintenance Options we are unable to provide you with this sort of information as we are a separate organisation to the CSA. We do not have access to any details that the CSA hold about him or his case, so he will need to contact them directly to discuss his concerns. Their contact details can be found on any letter they have sent him, or this website www.gov.uk/child-support-agency provides their contact details. When an application is made with the CSA, your son's responsibility to pay will start from around the time the CSA contacts him.

If your son is able to talk to his child's mother, they may wish to sort out maintenance between themselves. This is known as a family-based arrangement, where they can agree on who will provide what for their child. It can include money and other kinds of support, for example providing clothing or child care. There are no strict rules or formulas that your son has to stick to when calculating your payments. Family-based arrangements are not legally binding, however, they can be quick, easy and free to set up.

We have useful tools and guides on our website at www.cmoptions that may help your son set up a family-based arrangement. We have a discussion guide and a Talking about money guide where they can discuss how much maintenance their child needs. We also have a family-based arrangement form that is not a legally enforceable document but may put your agreement on a more formal basis. Your son can complete this together with his child's mother and sign their names to show their commitment to their arrangement.

Your son may wish to use our online calculator found on the website above to give him an indication of how much child maintenance he may have to pay. He can use this figure as a starting point when negotiating their family-based arrangement.

There is a Sorting out separation web-app on our website at http://www.dad.info/divorce-and-separation/sorting-out-separation that you may find useful as it offers help and support to separating families

Alternatively, if you prefer a confidential chat with one of our agents, you can call us on our freephone number 0800 988 0988. We are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 4pm.

I hope this helps.

William