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Hello everyone,
I have been researching the massive amount of CSA dilemas on the internet over the last few days and noticed a few threads on it via this website so I decided to join and share my experiences with them with everyone....
So anyways...
Im currently happily married with two lovely children, boy whos 2 and a half and a newborn little girl, I also have a 14 year old daughter whom unfortunately I have little contact with since her mother has refused for the last 5 years to give us any contact details, I feel that since I have got married and had children again she is very bitter. We have made alot of effort in tracking them down to no avail.....
Up to about 5 years ago I worked as a Tree Surgeon and paid happily paid maintenance to my eldest daughters mother on a regular basis, unfortunately I was involved in quite a severe motorbike accident which resulted in me having brain damage to the left hemisphere of my brain, this has in time resulted in me suffering from epilepsy and very severe, pretty much constant migraines, I have to take various amounts of medication for my condition and in turn taking these has resulted in me having psoriasis on over 60 percent of my body. I am unable to work and my wife is now my carer. (she is typing this post for me as i word it to her as I cant use a keyboard due to the psoriasis on my hands)
So, last monday we got a letter from the CSA 'imforming' us that we owe them £17,845.23 😯
We normaly get one or two statements from them a year clearly showing my account with them as zero owed each time.
I am in reciept of disability living allowance and incapacity benefit and we were to the understanding that there was a flat rate for anybody recvieving benefits....
Can anyone give us some advice on our next actions towards the CSA please..?
Thankyou.
Hi there
Firstly welcome to Dadtalk and secondly thank you for posting - I appreciate it must be really tough in your situation. I am sure other dads will agree that this is a sad case and not one i would like to answer.
I have therefore referred it to the Children's legal centre who work on this site and I have to say very helpful.
Please keep in touch with us as we would like to know what the outcome is and wish you all the very best
Hi,
I'd ask CSA how they calculated that figure as it must have accrued in the last year if they have been sending you statements showing that you owe nothing until now. As far as I know, the flat rate of £5 per week applies if you earn less than £100 per week, or are on benefits, but I'm not sure whether there is a ceiling for the benefits before you start paying over the flat rate - the CSA should tell you this. Additionally, did you inform the CSA that you were on benefits - if not, I think they can continue using the original calculation until you inform them (I think they would ask you to complete a variation) - but from the amount they say you owe, it sounds as though they think you have earned over £100,000 without paying maintenance on it.
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