When Things Go Wrong with Child Maintenance
The Child Maintenance Service handles thousands of cases, and mistakes do happen. Payments might arrive late, calculations can contain errors, and communication sometimes falls short of what parents expect.
Both receiving and paying parents can find themselves dealing with problems. A receiving parent might wait longer than expected for payments to come through, while a paying parent may feel the assessment does not reflect their actual circumstances. Whatever the issue, there are several steps parents can consider to address problems.
Raising Your Concerns Directly
If something has gone wrong with your case, start by contacting the Child Maintenance Service directly. You can do this by phone or in writing. Many parents prefer to put complaints in writing because it creates a record you can refer back to later.
When you contact them, explain the problem clearly and include your case reference number. Be specific about what has gone wrong and what outcome you want. If you send a letter or email, keep a copy for your own records.
The person handling your initial contact will often try to resolve the matter straight away. Simple issues like updating contact details or correcting obvious errors may be sorted at this stage, though resolution times can vary depending on the specifics of your case.
Answer a few questions about your situation and get a clear summary of your child maintenance rights and options.
Try our Child Support Rights Checker free, here on this site →Escalating Through the Complaints Process
If the initial response does not resolve your problem, you can ask for your complaint to be looked at by a senior complaints handler. The Child Maintenance Service has a formal complaints procedure with different stages.
At each stage, someone more senior will review what has happened. You should receive a written response explaining what they found and what action, if any, they will take. Keep copies of all correspondence throughout this process.
The timeframes for responses can vary depending on how complex your case is. If you do not hear back within a reasonable period, follow up with a phone call or letter asking for an update.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Taking Your Complaint Further
If you have completed the internal complaints process and remain dissatisfied, further options include contacting the Independent Case Examiner, who reviews complaints about several government bodies including the Child Maintenance Service.
The Independent Case Examiner will only consider your case once you have completed the internal complaints process. They look at whether the service has treated you fairly and followed correct procedures.
Your Member of Parliament can also make enquiries on your behalf, though their ability to influence outcomes will vary. You can find contact details for your local MP on the UK Parliament website.
In some situations, you may be able to challenge a maintenance calculation through a formal appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. This is a separate process from making a complaint about service quality. Appeals must usually be made within one month of receiving a decision you disagree with, though extensions may be granted in certain circumstances.
Keeping Good Records
Throughout any dispute with the Child Maintenance Service, keeping organised records will help your case. This includes:
- Copies of all letters and emails sent and received
- Notes of phone calls, including dates, times and the names of staff you spoke with
- Bank statements showing payment dates and amounts
- Any documents supporting your position
Good records make it easier to demonstrate what has gone wrong and when. They also help if your complaint moves to an external body like the Independent Case Examiner.
For current information about the complaints process and your rights, visit the Child Maintenance Service section on GOV.UK, where you can find guidance on making complaints and details of the formal appeals process.
The situation you're facing with the CMS, especially with your son living with you, sounds deeply unfair and there may well be grounds to challenge it properly. Citizens Advice can help you navigate a mandatory reconsideration and tribunal at no cost, and Gingerbread also runs a helpline specifically for parents dealing with child maintenance issues. A welfare rights adviser could look at the figures alongside HMRC's records to see where things have gone wrong.
Please make that call to Samaritans first. Your life matters far more than any of this paperwork.
After taking 6.5k(LSDO) I got ICE involved and after 4 years got money back and compensation. They bullied and harassed me at every turn and the mistakes in their calculations etc etc cost the taxpayer over 40k to sort.
If anyone out there needs advice get in touch and I will do my best to point you in the right direction.
One thing you musky do is give up or give in .
As with the Postmasters, there are many of us who have been treated disgracefully by them, and Politicians should order an inquiry into the practices of the CSA.
What happens between parents and their children should remain in the hands of legal advisors and the courts and not in the hands of incompetent grade 1 clerks.
I’ve seen recently in the news that the government plan to “crack down on dead beat dads”. I feel there are a lot of dads who try to do the best they can for their kids, however the system seems to let them down. I feel as though something needs to change.
It not just child maintenance that is messed up. Cafcass and the family courts are incompetent. I left my abuser and have been made to suffer his continue abuse for a further 7 years by the courts. Apparently full time mothers and abuse are irrelevant to a childs welfare so they gave him sole custody. After taking 5 years of full time work to pay of the financial abuse and start saving for a home. I was exhausted, no life at all, threats from my ex and a system that tells me off for even breathing. I paid my abuser child maintenance all that time. Even though his parents are paying for everything she wants and he pockets the money for himself. He managed to cause me to loss my job, I admit the complex post traumatic stress disorder caused by all this hell and his years of abuse didn't help much. I lost my job, child maintenance stopped. I decided to go back to university and since I started there they keep saying I need to pay over £340 per month to my abuser. I've not got an income at all, I'm a full time student. I have no home, I have no income, my brain doesn't function right anymore. There is no point to being alive. My course finishes in September, I was starting to think about what I would do then, but there is no point. He bullied his way to having the house and all the finances, I didn't get a single penny. Going back to uni was kind of my attempt to get a break from hell, it hasn't worked. The abuse doesn't end and child maintenance help reward highly abusive people who are wrongly in charge of our lives. The cafcass officer refused to look at evidence and court paperwork before writing her report. They don't care about children. My daughter screamed and clung to me when he got sole custody, because he had all the money and house. She screamed and was traumatised and they just say it is a normal reaction. The whole system is evil. I've told child maintenance to put me in jail for life. I tried my best and the authorities told me off - it is selfish for a woman to leave an abusive man. I should of stayed with my abuser and died. It would have been fair kinda than this horrid sentence they gave me. I wish he had killed me the day he assaulted me with his car. I want to go to prison or be executed for my crime of leaving an abusive man.
Assessment started September 2016.
I stopped working in October 2017 due to a bad injury. I informed them of nil income as per their A5 booklet.
According to them I owed nothing 2 1/2 years ago.
Then 2 years ago (April 2021) I went back to work and a month later 8 letters in the door on one day. Out of the blue they want £26000.00. No explanation, no how, no where from? Apparently I was earning £800.00 per week while off injured. Have asked for their evidence. Nothing sent.
No answers depite promises of looking into it from a case worker and her supervisor. Never heard from those 2 women again.
I was even threatened by another woman.
My son is now 21. Assessment ended 3 years ago. They also didn't confirm he was still in school.
His mother refused to adhere to multiple court orders over multiple years so haven't seen him for around 6 years.
Child maintenance doesn't care about fathers not seeing their children. They are only interested in earning money from collecting and distributing.
Last phone call to them was July 2022 and lost count how many times before to sort.
Put so much info on their useless portal it became full. Nothing was actioned.
No call backs actioned from their portal despite multiple complaints and requests.
Asked for a calculation breakdown over 2 years ago. Nothing yet.
Now when you call you get Triage snowflakes instead of useless case workers.
But apparently I have a tone when I spoke to them.
Ps I am happy to pay child maintenance, and do believe that it is fathers responsibility to provide but this is not a fair system and it is being abused
The mental health issues this causes me is awful.
An absent parent will always have a negative impact on a child's life and it is always the child that suffers.
A stressed parent who loses their house, are hounded through rising debt, or who's children are alienated against them is at real risk of isolation and giving up. Your children will all grow up and they will find out how this 'service' (CMS) impacted on their parents and I cannot express how important it is that your actions do not cause the other parent harm by trapping them in a nightmare limbo with no way out.
If you end up with blood on your hands your children will not only suffer, but they will never forgive you.
You use this service because you think it's fair and works like all other services in this country, but you are wrong!!! Your ego's are simply lining the pockets of government who have no idea what it's like to struggle.
Wake up people - you are damaging your children and they won't thank you for it.
In Australia only 3% of fathers don't see their kids and in U.K 76% of paying parents have no overnight stays. You are a pawn in the biggest child abuse conspiracy there is.
You don't need to like each other and you don't need to agree with one another but your kids have two parents. An absent parent will start showing up when they're ready, and they will have to make their peace with their children. Your child's relationship with their other parent is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!
With over 100,000 members in Fathers for Justice it seems to me that women need to get over themselves just as much as men who hop from woman to woman.
If you want to understand the real damage of this service then check out upfederation.org and read the detailed report.
If you are having your lives unfairly affected by this 'service' then rest assured you are not alone and people are fighting your cause behind the scenes. Hang on in there!!!
If you think you're entitled to 'more' and are using your children as a means to get rich and hurt the other parent then shame on you!!!
If you have been spending years waiting for money that has never come - make peace with it and move on. You will probably receive a letter in the future saying it's been written off. Your kids are lucky to have you!
This is not a public service as it works for very few families without someone getting hurt, bankrupt, or dead.
Wake up people - you're all being scammed and your children are watching and feeling your every move!!!
custody of my child after her mother lost it. Well as well as paying for Solicitors, hotels and everything
else while the case was finalised. They also insisted that I continue to pay the mother (who no longer had anything to do with my child) until they reviewed, which takes months as they are, well incompetent, so after they find that I should not have paid. they tell me that they cannot do anything about getting the money back. I guess it's due to their incompetence. So if they tell you to pay your lawfully obliged to do so. But when they find they were wrong. They will not do anything about it. Can this really be working?
The CMS processes are simply unfit for purpose. I am happy that they provide a necessary service in many [maybe most] cases where a parent tries to avoid his/her obligations to thei children. However, there are many many cases where they do not. People woudl not board a plane which 'landed safely most times' or a train which probably arrived at the right location etc.. The CMS is causing financial harm to many men [primarily], and profiting from the financial distress and harm they cause. In my experience the problems fall into the followiing categories:
1. Establishing the veracity of the information they are given - just believing a woman and not a man [seems to be a recurring theme].
2. Recognition of the needs of a parent with JOINT CUSTODY [that he/she also has a need to provide a home for their children whislt they are with them].
3. Income recognition of both parents..
4. Consistency and transp[arency in calculations and decisions.
5. indiffierence.. to the personal circumstances of both parents.
But.. what lies at the heart [IMO] of their ability to 'be so wrong and illoogical and unfair or unreasonable or indifferent' in so many situations is simple: they have too much poweer and their decision can be implemented withoput 3rd party scrutiny or assessment of 'proportionality or reasonableness or accuracy'. They can and do simply issue deeductiosn from earnings and earn themselves their 24%... from a father [usually] in distress. I cannot see a remedy that does not involve redefining their remit and powers: so that this is addressed:
A solution might look lik:
1. 3rd party scrutiny of decisions accessible to all instantly.
2. Removal of the power to deduct money from an employer [or even communuicate with an employer] without first passing some judicial or independent scrutiny/hurdle
3. Removal of the right to withhold passports or driving licenses, without a judicial process.
4. Formal Recognition of the needs of 'both parents' in any case.
5. Personal responsibility for the decisions being taken by CMS staff...
My circumstances are hideous by any objective assessment.
My wife and children live in the house which I bought in CASH and in which i invested over £250,000 from pension and savings.
The contribution calculation considered the pension withdrawals as income 4 years ago and this has not been adjusted.
The assumed eroneous 'debt' has caused me to be unable to maintain 'their' weekly contribution: and so they have implemented DEO for my ;ast two employers.
I am very well paid at £96,000 p.a. but am homeless and unable to make ends meet: this is because the CMS do not recognise mortgage, debt or other contributions and because of their insistence that the eroneous debt is paid [as i see in so many of the comments above]: and then they take 24% of the fees I pay for the privilege of causing such harm, due to their incompetence and indifference.
I have surviv
Yet my payment has increased again this year. How can this be. I have sent my tax returns in to them.
This is hard cold proof of what I earned. So what are they basing there payments on???
That was 6 months ago.
They won't close it. It's destroying my friendship with his mum. They kept sayin to us it was closed. Then another charge. Then we both got in contact again and they said sorry. NOW IT'S closed.
It wasn't.
This led to extremely rapid debt. They just slammed me with the payments without warning. I went to payday loans because I was almost homeless.
Called them.... one thing. Then another....
They directly lied to me and mum. Showed no energy or care to fix it.
I'm currently sofa surfing and extremely suicidal. I lost everything. It happened so fast.
And now... that disgusting dictatorship scheme has destroyed my life.
I give up.
It's been 6 months. Last time we spoke to them we 2 days ago.... and their response as to why they wouldn't close out account was "oh. I don't know why your accounts open."....
My life is destroyed because of those parasites and their reasoning was they don't know. Soz bro....
Thank you child's maintenance for being the soul contribution to losing my home, relationship with my son, and his mum can't handle it anymore because she wants me to be ok and she's tried everything...
The fact I have difinitive proof you did this. Lying to us.... no motivation to stop it. No excuse for 6 months and now you state :I don't know"...
Vile
My kids for ever telling me “Dad your always broke,always working or I never get a present!!….
CSA ask yourselves how can a parent spend quality time with their children when we don’t even have the bus fair or ice cream money??
How can this legislation say we deduct on your GROSS INCOME??? Who’s seeing that??
CSA ARE WORST THAN THE PARKING ATTENDANT HIDDEN BEHIND A TREE
WHAT A BUNCH OF USELESS IDIOTS AND THEY ALL LIE NEVER GET A HONEST ANSWER FROM THEM!!!
Why call them to discuss anything you may as well jump of a cliff or slowly bleed out as that is the pain you endure speaking with those bunch of robots that read of a computer screen.
Just found out after being homeless for a few years, and unemployed for 2 and a half years that CMS have used ‘old’ information from when I was working to work out what I should pay, I haven’t been getting letters as have no address, and they now say I owe £9000 in arrears, all this built up while ‘not working and earning’, I have spoken to HMRC and they have confirmed that my file is up to date, and shows I haven’t been working, CMS are refusing to listen, and are still adding £200/week, and say I will have to pay all the money they say I owe, I have just put a complaint in, but have seen that they make their own rules and will probably not get anywhere with it !!!
How am I supposed to start again with a £9000 debt, I’m scared as I see how many people turn to suicide over this kind of issue, and have been through depression Jensen my life is such a mess now !!!!
Really can’t see a way through !!!!!
Ex telling lies about claiming. She hasn’t paid mortgage for 2 years. Csa now claiming off me. Eldest is working and college for 16 hours a week drives a bmw and he’s 19. Csa taking £600 month DEO for 3 years and I hadn’t missed a payment ex rang them and they believed her
I had solicitors and they couldn’t help. I sent all proof I hadn’t missed any payments CSA just don’t listen to the paying parent. I’ve had letters with all different arrears amounts and all different deferent reference numbers
We have been shoved about with all this and the csa will not do anything about any complaint put to them, we can't go to ice as the csa haven't given us a letter to say they will shut the case although they have, so after all the earnings they have put him down to which he wasn't, they say he owes £40.000, we have the SAR here and all his work history off hmrc, but they still say they are right, which they're not
They are totally useless
I've also been a victim of their fraudulent claims and action to the point of wanting to commit suicide.
Ficitiocious earnings, ficticious arrears, bombardment and harassment with unsigned, conflicting letters 4 in 1 week stating I owed different amounts of money. I've lost my complete faith in the legal system as the CMS are in cahoots with the magistrates hiring out rooms and magistrates for the day so they can rubber stamp fictious liability orders.
Disgusting shambles, the best you can do is completely ignore them, their actions are simply unlawful it's not worth your life.
They seem more interesting in racking up fictious fees and arrears so they can claim (steal their) 24% of a inflated ficticious earnings and arrears.
All for the kids, really?
Destroy families in both side, turn PwC into carnivorous cretins hungry for cash and NRP and their families into poverty (yes families / kids).
If I could reset the switch I wouldn't even have bothered to contact them in the first places... They are not impartial and seems anti Men as NRPs.
Not only do they change my address but they have the cheek to send me a text saying I need to pay xyz so when I check the online calculator it states I have to pay less than half what they texted.
I pay what I'm supposed to into my daughters account (I don't have my ex's details and we don't get along at all) I reference it as CMS as advised I pay for several months only to find CMS have put a DEO to my employer without my knowledge! (I should mention it's still not paying anywhere near what they originally texted).
Fast forward on months later and several complaints and still no answer.
So far they have claimed letters were returned to them (that's a lie as I have all letters up until you changed my address) they claimed they didn't have my number (how else did I receive not just 1 but several text messages from you?!?)
It seems they feel they are untouchable and exempt from the same rules as the rest of us.
I claim that they have commited fraud...by changing my address (falsifying evidence) in order to make a benefit (they add 20% on paying parents case and deduct 4% from the receiving parent) not only that but by changing my address they have put me in arrears due to me believing the case was closed due to no contact for over 3 years. It also gets worse where they have just put on a DEO for the past 3 months yet the financial statement I have got shows they have added collection fees on three different dates and several transactions at a time with varying amounts and the total is over £4000 collection fees....
Now tell me that is not fraud!!!
I am looking at taking legal action and I am looking to see if anyone else has been in a similar position as I aim to get the system reformed as it clearly dies not work and it's only geared towards getting money by any means necessary including fraudulent behaviour!
She is running him into the ground. Somehow she is able to call up CMS (like she did already) and say that she wasnt happy with what he was paying so they they increased the amount and back dated it 6 months. Because the backdating immediately put him into arrears, they went to the employer and take 40% of his salary. He is now working full time, sees his kids every other weekend and has to manage on around £500 per month after her deductions. She is working full time, has a salary of £50k, owns 2 houses.. She plays the system. for example, he could get a reduction as he has the kids more than 52 nights a year so she changed it. Now he gets them every 2nd weekend Say & Sun but has to take them home by 7pm. Because they dont 'stay overnight' he is not eligible.
Why is it so easy for the mothers to rip of the dads through CMS? There is nothing in place that promotes joint parenting.
How can i get this because they have stop taking payments from him and he still owes me money
I understand that an upper court ruling says that they must use evidence of the most recent earnings to calculate, this being my last year's P60.
Surely it is time for a parliamentary review to look into the incompetence of this department?
But they are not allowed to take things home because ‘mummy puts them in the bin’ so we stopped buying things for them. We were having £400 A WEEK! Taken out of the account only way we stopped this was by going self employed we have been to court explained about our situation and our circumstances baring in mind we have 2 babies together and they do not give a flying monkeys!! They wrote to us saying they are taking money from the account every week and to get in touch with them .. so I try to contact them and surprise surprise they won’t talk to me as I’m not a representive on the case yet they can take money from a joint account which has my name on it! They infuriate me and are trying to leave us and our babies homeless and starved absolute waste of space this system is!
They want me to go direct pay but he consistently stops paying when suits. I have refused on the grounds that I was abuses mentally and physically and don't want him having my details. Doesn't even bother his arae with his kids and blocked them on social.media after friend requesting them. My partner gets screwed over by them constantly but my ex walks away scot free!!!
They need to be accountable for this shambolic state. I'm.signed off with stress and worried sick about finances as I can't tell my kids they can't have clothes they need etc.... they need clothes for school.
She squealed to the CMS. They put me on their pay and collect "service". Added charges and now I'm up for £1260 /month.
Oh yeah - their original £838 estimate was wrong - it should have been £720 based on my actual P60.
So I tried to take out a court injunction against the CMS to resolve the matter but it looks like the court does not have the power.
I've been to court 14 times, but nothing compares to the abuse, financial rape, and mental torture the CMS inflict.
There are no suitable words to describe what contempt I have for them.
The CMS are a law unto themselves and answer to nobody for any of their actions. The only time things will change is if WE make change. The Americans know how to get their point across when they feel wrongly done by so why can't the people / Fathers of the UK take a similar stance against these imbeciles? They need to be stopped or NOTHING will change.
I am currently at the stage of ice investigation but i have been told that
1/ the CSA do not pay the outstanding owed anymore?
2/ that compensation for the severe stress and enabling of financial abuse is also no longer done ?
Does anyone know if this is true
I had been told via a csa manager they do have a pot they can pay me from and retrieve the arrears themselves due to severe mistake but I'm getting conflicting information
Many thanks
The CMS gave me a figure at my annual review that was including pension payments. I call them and told them about the error, they told me to get proof from the HMRC which I did and I applied for a reconsideration. They wrote back to be and refused it. Because the “Historic figure” they had didn’t fall within the 25% Bracket. My MP has been involved but they still refuse to budge. I’m guess the figure given was an error in the payroll department at work. Why should I be penalised for someone else’s error. The only thing I can do now to is to go to a tribunal.
Do you think it’s worth doing? I know that my figures are correct and the ones they are using are wrong 100%. Surely the 25% figure should not be taken into account on an error!
Any advise would be great
Thank you
The wY to get their attention is to stop paying Ang let them chase you!
They are very well off and she doesn't need to work. His daughter has never lived with her mum or had regular overnight stays. She has very little to do with her.
Last week he was called in by his manager at work to be informed that CSA have requested an attachment of earnings of £461 per month (he only earns less than £1400) and received a letter at home stating that he owes back pay of over £8000 for 3 years child maintenance to his ex?!?
Today he received his wage slip confirming the deduction.
He is going to a solicitor about this and has rang CSA numerous times being put on hold and his call not being logged.
My question is how on earth has it been possible for her to claim this without checking the system to see the child benefit goes to him, checking with school to see he is the main carer, checking with thbe him to see how often he has his daughter and verifying the situation?
She has recently gone abroad for another 3 months and he has no means of contacted her and CSA have sent her £460 leave ing him in financial hardship caring for his daughter full time.
The school have written him a letter, he has the child Ben award letter but they have not even given him a week to appeal the decision, no questions asked before taking the money.
Will he get this money back as quick when they realise this harmful irresponsible error.??
The CMS seem to have different rules and do not even respond to letters. I have been writing to them since August and have not had a single response to the five letters - just generic computer processed letters that do not address any of the issue raised.
They continually messed up my case at least 3 times now they have thrown me on at least 3 different schemes. I used to work in the department. Apparently when the mess up your claim so bad they throw you on a different scheme they refer to it as doing a 'falkirk' because them lot regularly screwed peoples case up like that. They have farmed my case out all over the country. I've spoken to people in Scotland, Belfast, Birmingham. Literally everywhere in the UK.
They have cost me at least two jobs and one secure tenancy. They have lied to me on the phone they have stolen money directly from my account. They just harvest details then rob you.
They are a souless killing machine that hate men.
I now cannot stay calm on the phone to them. I refuse to speak to them on the phone. I would happily kill every one of them....
I took the matter to my Labour MP Rachel Maskell. She is female and a femanist. No action taken.
They are a completely unaccountable department. MP's dispair of dealing with them.
ive just been given a bill of 1250 per month saying ive never paid a penny and they want all monies plus 20%
ive been paying directly for years and buying stuff for my daughter and all the fuel to collect and drop back £60 a trip.
bit blown away really as to how this lot think they can just demand 20% ????
can you take CMS to court or can I go to court to get an order that removes this lot ?
I cannot pay 1250 per month any way and it will also mean i never see my daughter whilst im robbed blind.
I feel your pain. Since splitting up over 12 years ago, I have paid over £70k in child maintenance to my ex. This doesn’t include additional money I’ve supported them with such as paying for school trips, days out when I’ve had them stay with me and an annual holiday I’ve taken them on. I got made redundant and stupidly gave my ex a lump sum (a years maintenance up front) to support them whilst I looked for a new job. Within days of me transferring the cash, she manipulated them into not seeing me and started to alienate me from their lives.
I have since found a job but now have the CMS bullying me into paying ridiculous monthly payments which I can’t afford.
This is due to them having incorrect salary details on their systems. 6 months I’ve been fighting my corner and still firmly at square 1. They aren’t interested in helping, their only goal is to get you on the collect and pay which you have the pleasure of paying an additional 20% on a number you already can’t afford.
I am now in a position where I can’t afford to go to work and will most likely resign and live on the streets for a few years. It will be less hassle than I currently have and financially I won’t be any worse off. If their main aim is to help children get support, then why don’t they review each case on its merits rather than square pegs in round holes approach?
How do we collectively fight this system to get a fair and reasonable outcome?
I wish everyone the best of luck when dealing with these bullies, as the mental strain this has caused me during these 6 months has been immense and with the worst possible outcome for all.
The government should be embarrassed and held accountable for ruining so many lives.
The change in name from the Child Support Agency to the Child Maintenance Service hit the nail on the head; no longer are they concerned with supporting children's needs, they have, it seems, solely concerned with money and are now taking a cut for themselves, making cash cows of non-resident parents.
In addition to this, their methods for taxation are disgusting as they consider your salary before PAYE, essentially adding their own tax on top of your income tax. They also consider Child Tax Credits claimed for other children as income so those children are deprived of money which was meant for them and the Tax Credits essentially go back into the system. No surprise really from an incompetent Tory government.
The CMS are an utter disgrace and should undergo a complete overhaul along with general child support policy.
The CMS/CSA needs to get there act together. I sick of being treated like a criminal every time I talk to them. I want to pay the money but not this way as it should never of happened. May be one day my kids will find me so I can tell them the truth and give them the lost years of cuddles they have missed out on.
If you are reading this and you are the one making a claim with fails information then you should be punished. People like that destroy lives.
For 17yrs my partner has paid maintenance direct to the mother for 2 children he believed were his. My partner came out of work and there was an agreement between them both to lower the payment until back into work, this was agreed by both. My partner went back to work, then suffered a work place injury which placed him on the sick for quite a few weeks, he had no help from the DWP regards help with bills or mortgage but he managed to get through. On returning to work his ex partner made contact with him and requested maintenance for the children, the only thing was the amount she was requesting was over what the initial agreement was. he refused to pay the extra and sent the agreed amount. his ex partner informed him she was going to the CMS and thats when the trauma began.
Awaiting to hear from the CSM a family member from my partners side posted a note through the door of my partners house informing him that one of the children was not his and his ex partner had an affair while they were together. upon this when contact was made by the CMS we informed them of this information and requested a DNA on all parties, Mother, Father and 2 children. the DNA tests were paid for by myself and were done by the independent body the CMS use so there was no way the tests could be tampered with. My partner went through the process and within 4 working days his results were back. after numerous phone calls with the CMS and receiving threatening letters for payment for maintenance to which my partner was paying each week direct to the mother, we rang the CMS to find out if the mother had carried out her testing? NO! 6 weeks down the line and still no tests have been carried out by the mother. after a phone call to the DNA company they informed ourselves that they had told the CMS to close down the claim as no tests had been submitted only the fathers. we rang the CMS and explained that the case was supposed to be closed down as they were instructed and they fobbed us off, they were not interested, and have now sent 3 threatening letters in 3 days demanding money from my partner. i have contacted the prime minister, every MP in house of lords regards child and families, human rights, and have no where else to go. so CMS are you going to put some money together for the funeral costs of my partner? if so send it in your next letter.
My child is older and working.
I have no issues paying what I am suppose to be paying, I have uploaded wageslips and several caseworkers have said I should be paying £192 per month, but nobody is doing anything about it I don't no what to do or who to complain to
I have received a letter from the CSM saying that I owe £8,400 in child maintenance that wasn’t paid from 2006- 2009 and that I need to prove that I paid this money. My son is now 27 years old. I know I paid this money and this information is incorrect but as it was almost 10 years ago I don’t have any records of my old bank account and cannot get them as they only give out statements for the past 6-7 years. What should I do?
In addition, the other parent lied about income such that the figure paid in child support was minimal, yet after finding out the actual amount, later, it would have been approx 4.8k per year since 2009 for the two children. I did state at the time in complaints to CSA and have since complained again, but not until an MP was involved have they even answered. They have looked into the complaint and mistakenly been forced to lie to the MP. Ridiculous really. Laughable, but very serious.
They have messed up the case so badly they have the details down on system wrongly through what is essentially maladministration and/or possibly fraud. How on earth do I get that corrected. The correct figure myself as pwc is owed is approx £29k (obviouslly im not going to get it now!! - their fault) and they have just sent me a bill with threat of court action for £7k which is completely wrong as I dont owe at all, I am owed.
I now have a £7k bill, no child support help with the one left that is under 18 and legacy threats to me backdated which they wont address. I think a Judicial review should ensue.... Anyone else know what I can do?
It is extremely difficult to get the CMS to acknowledge this or to do anything else other than fill in forms on their computers. I have had to spend weeks trying to contact them before finally being phoned back by someone who appears to be authorised to talk like a human being and not just the interface to a computer database.
The genuine payments that have been demanded (as opposed to the made up one mentioned above) are also not affordable because I already look after my children by, among other things, paying the mortgage on the house in which they live with their mother and the rent on the house in which they live in with me. But none of this is taken into account. All that is taken into account is gross salary and the number of days spent with each parent per week. The parent with whom they spend the least time, even if the difference is only one day per week, is deemed to be "the absent parent". I have shown them in detail the reasons why, even if I wanted to make these payments, I would be unable to do it while also providing a roof over my children's heads. But I hit a brick wall of bureaucracy. Apparently, housing and caring for my children is deemed to be "voluntary" and therefore doesn't count.
The CMS is an important service for cases where one parent has genuinely abandoned responsibility for caring for their children. In other cases its one-size-fits-all design, and its combination of errors, threats and unwillingness to genuinely communicate, harms the children whom it purports to try to help by harming the breadwinners who support and house them.
Direct pay saw arrears accrue as ex only paid what they wanted to pay (very little)
Deduction of earnings failed, another sudden change of income, More time to not pay
In the mean time I work part time and struggle every month, going without to the point I am mal nourished and receiving vitamin shots, to ensure LO has everything they need
CMS is official financial terrorist organisation who rapes paying parent by using fake evidences & unfortunately there is NO justice available to paying parent especially where CMS involved. This is the base line. They forcefully stops paying parents to take this matter to International court / European court to get the justice.
This
We have now received a demand to start paying £175 a week until it is paid off in 3 months !!!
When we paid the maintenance at the time, it nearly broke us, we had to sell our house, and my husband was suicidal , he is now sitting with his head in his hands not knowing what to do.
I disputed this, went to court and lost. I received a 49 day prison term, suspended for two years for failure to make payments. The 5k was to be repaid over 2 years, hence the length of the suspended prison sentence.
I maintained the payments over this period even though I knew it was unjust, all the while battling against the csa and trying to get them to review the case and the monies already paid and monies they claimed were still owed.
They have now reviewed my case and offered to repay just under 5k back to me, sayin their assessments were incorrect in the past and I have indeed overpaid.
Fair enough, right?
But, they have put my wife, my children who live with me and myself through an incredibly stressful and worrying time since they first started to claim these arrears about three years ago. I have been given a suspended prison sentence, criminal record, massive financial strain and have spent untold hours trying to defend myself from a miscarriage of justice, not to mention the time and earnings I’ve lost trying to do so, which they’ve now admitted should not have happened in the first place.
Is there anything I can do?
Thanks,
Cheers Rip off Britain
I have tried to reslove this as the child now adult is not my biological son I have complained to the CSA to MPs and no one wants to listen they just want to keep taking the money regardless
Now considering suicide as this seems to be the only way out At least they will then leave me alone
I’ve just read the comments about the woman’s husband being threatened 10 years later for money! This is a concern for me too now as I now know this organisation can’t be trusted.
I suggest all do the same and ask for all the information they have on you and look through every detail. Follow their faulty complaints procedure and go to tribunal. Perhaps when the courts are backlogged for years they might actually realise the disaster the CMS is and finally do something about it rather than just rename it like they did from CSA to CMS. Same pathetic group under a different name.
Keep everything they send you. Keep all accounts (clearly until you die or the other parent dies)
They must be held accountable and stop harassing good parents that pay! This is unacceptable from any organisation let alone a government one. Last I knew this was the UK and not North Korea.
No Organisation should be able to put people through financial crisis, personal stress, physical and mental ill health before following a procedure that is embroidered in our British constitution. But Alas, this seems to be the processes of the CMS.
My husband is on the brink of suicide. I am not kidding. As I type this I am not sure he will be with me and our 2 small children tomorrow morning.
The reason...
He received his payslip in the post today to see 1,117 pounds deducted from his earnings by Child maintenance. He has been a paying parent religiously for the last 5 years, despite constant accusations that he has not. None of the threats of collect and pay have been successful because he has always been able to provide proof of payment. However, without any contact by way of letter or phone call informed him of this deduction. After a phone call to the ‘call centre’ He was also told that this was to be a monthly deduction and was a decision set by the tribunal.
( I might add here, that this is for a 18 year old that spent 7 years at an outstanding ofsted rated grammar school that is apparently enrolled in non advanced education until she is 20 (how convenient and easy to manipulate a system that encourages what I like to call ‘legal fraud’).
He has a pending tribunal and was told by the CMS that this was a tribunal decision and to contact the court. We did. They informed us that the tribunal case hasn’t even reached a judge nor has a date been set (as we already knew) Therefore this could not have been a decision set by tribunal (as the tribunal clerk told us) A letter from the tribunal is to be sent to prove this.
A decision to take this money is unclear and without explanation as I’ve mentioned so how can this possibly happen?
I am not a bitter new wife. I think it is the parents responsibility to help pay for their child and I have always been on top of ensuring my husband has not forgotten to pay.
however it seems that this Organisation has a prejudice against men and paying parents.
Something has gone seriously wrong that an Organisation this powerful can be so flawed. Flawed to the point that they don’t seem to have an ounce of professional communication, common sense or compunction to do the right thing. They have acted immorally and unprincipled and I would like to say they have acted illegally.
They have a duty of care to all with their life changing decisions and should through every test and procedure possible ensure that every effort to contact and include a parent is made. To ensure than no on endures a financial hardship that would render them homeless or worse yet dead (receiving parent included)
It seems to me that a lot of unconscionable mistakes are being made, on both sides, and they are never accountable.
I have no more words to express myself at this point.
I feel that if everyone who had an issue with the cms lobbied together we could fight the cons that are the cms. The government need to disband them. Now I still pay maintenance payments but when you can prove that you don’t have any arrears and then they keep adding fictitious charges on top to a fee that no honest person can pay what are you to do?
I also find the way they speak to you on the phone is appalling, if I was to speak to a member of the public like that at my place of work, i’d Probably lose my job.
I have asked many times, could they please tell me how they arrived at £10,800 and just check, if I'm wrong I would have payed, but I'm not wrong and they can go F^>$ themselves.
16 years of harassment , worry, stress, and ill health brought on by these spineless Brickwalls.
I'm glad to see that they have looked at the bigger part cture her rather than taking sides. Mother of four three different fathers and spends alweekend clubing. If I die I no what I'm coming back as.........
My story.
I was a six figure earner until 2013, unfortunately due to a condition I was born with at birth (tumours grow on my nervous system) got out of control, I had to give up work. Although my tax records state (£0.00) earned from 2013-2014 tax year the cms are adamant to keep on billing me on my last “full PAYE tax year” at roughly £18,400 per year, they were granted a liability order last July for the first round of funds they decided to pursue and are now pursuing another £37,000 plus change from me. I’m sure all that read this would agree with me that we would not short change our own children, however, we would expect not to pay money we do not earn from a government agency going rouge and making up rules as they see fit.
I feel as though my situation is unique to me, but I know this is not the case. Any money I have ever owed I have honoured and paid back, however, when you are being billed on fictitious sums you have not earned for five years, it really does grate you.
I intended to take the CMS to court and I do not expect to win, but, I will ensure I’m heard. And hopefully I can do enough to nip the current rate of accrual in the bud. I do genuinely believe that getting a ruling of actual earning passed through the courts is the only way to get the to accept my earnings, as they are not accepting hmrc data, let’s face it if hmrc thought I owed the they would be chasing me hard. If the cms are adamant I need to pay money I have never earned then I will cost them money and drag them through the legal system as hard as they have done with me, like them I won’t back down and I won’t go away. Albeit I’m not cash rich like I once was, I am time rich and will make use of every passing minuet to endure a waste of their resources at least then I will feel like I’m getting value for money for payment wrongs claimed.
They are a discussing law unto themselves unregulated sector of the government that need to be under review for their actions and face consequences for wrongful actions they have/are/will take in the future.
I've been exchanging calls for six months and information through the portal since December.
I have provided evidence that substantiates my position.
Because child benefit is being claimed, albeit fraudulently (which it seems is irrelevant) then maintenance must be paid, their investigation into my case was to ask the child benefit office is child benefit being claimed, answer - yes, therefore I must pay, my answer - no.
I even sent them HM Revenue and Customs document "Child Benefit for young people aged 16 or over" on what a "Qualifying Young Person" definition is, nowhere does it mention a 18 year old sitting at home playing Xbox every day qualifies.
Even the fact I reported the benefit fraud to the national benefit fraud office didn't sway them in anyway.
This letter dated 12 January 2019 says I have 28 days to appeal their decision in the magistrates court, I have started this process and informed them, but, as I found out yesterday they still took the money from my employer.
Although I have informed them of all the changes in circumstance that effect my case, which I am legally bound to do under Child Support Law it got me know where. I even challenged them to prosecute me for providing false information as they must believe I've done.
They are an organisation that takes no responsibility and are not held accountable for the distress and upset they create which wrecks people's lives, and I'm sure leads many to depression and worse.
I am beginning to lose hope. I just want justice to be served.
I told them I could not afford the £400 a month they said I had to pay I asked could they do a fair assessment based on my human rights of my outgoings I also told them I give my children money every single week but not that much as they are telling me to give now
I told them I could not afford to continue going to work because of my outgoings if they pressed on. I appealed and they gave me back the same answer.
So I have had to leave my job making it worse for me and my children just before Christmas
This is institutionalized gender discrimination my wife is entitled to earn £1,800 a month and receive maximum benefits bringing the total to 3200 month
I did earn £1500 pm and I am entitled to no benifits. How is that right? The state becomes the husband and father in this respect. It's institutionalized discrimination against men because the law is on the side of the woman in the family courts as a starting point and they can just say any old lie to the police and have you arrested and then the child maintenance service is all in their favour
I asked four members of staff that I spoke to from there how many women they had taken money from for childcare and they said none.
This is disgraceful and you have women here commenting on their husbands not giving money in a timely fashion when they are receiving all kinds of benefits as well as wages if they are working they are a disgrace. If the government did not help as much they would not be so high and Mighty and would start to cooperate with their partners.
Can I sue the child maintenance service for breaching my human rights have a right to live a life?
Anyone else came across this?? My complaint is now closed but £50 in my eyes is not enough, the time, stress and fincinal uncertainly I have faced this year because of their incompetence is foeful. I was expecting the guts of £4K arrears now it’s like £2k because of their misadministration.
Last time she went, she had someone replying to her mail to suggest she was still in the UK. It was only when her ex husband in Australia contacted me to tell me she was back in the UK and had bankrupted him, that I knew for certain. She moved in to a house just down the road from me and my new family - apparently the Council put her there due to domestic abuse. After almost a year of harassment and attempted marriage wrecking, she has gone again.
I wait for a decision.
so I am working self employed and I told the cms this and they asked me to get an accountant to do a projection of earnings...so I did this (which cost me 400 pound) and once received my partner worked it all out and my payments should be 136.96 a month yet cms are saying I have to pay 267 pound which is wrong but they have not done anything about it apart from cause more trouble than I already get with my ex partner by telling her she's expecting more money off me so obviously she's getting her back up and messaging me with horrible messages and stopping me from seeing my child. I don't no what to do!!! All I know is that the cms really need to deal with cases differently...if I didn't work out that I was over paying what would change apart from me over paying....nothing is the answer because everyone is happy with the situation...ex partner is getting lots of money she shouldn't be and the cms dont get any complaints and there's me getting it from all angles....i bet alot more people are also over paying bit just don't take the time to check for themselves...they just pay because the service should be reliable but it's really not guys. I know money isn't an object when it comes to your children but you want to pay what's right...Why should your ex partner be given more money than she needs....so she can get her nails done and drive fancy cars when she doesn't even work a day in her life.
I have had my payments dropped significantly as my ex paid the mortgage from December 2016 to January 2018 when I moved out .
I was advised prior to getting maintenance by my barrister and solicitor to inform the CSA that my ex was paying mortgage .I did so .
Now they have backed dated his claim as a special expense for him paying the mortgage my payments have dropped from £105 pw to £22pw tgey did not calculate it correctly at the time.
I see this no fault of my own knowing they accepted they made the mistake and did nt take the mortgage in to account in 2016.there is the recordings and paper work too prove this .no fault of my own or my children that they should suffer the negligence of the CSA.
My ex is a company director and does nt put through the inland revenue his actual income.i have bank statements to show he's on quite a high wage as we was in court last September and have the proof in way of statements .so he s defrauding the inland revenue and the CSA most of all deorivung his chikdren of a life.
Do I continue to appeal or take this to the courts.
Any advice would be grateful. Thank you
I understand that we have to do a paternity test to establish the true facts. However, if this proves to be the case, can I reclaim the Child Support money I paid for him from the CSA or do I have to pursue my ex wife?
Thanks.
I've been fighting the cms for three years now my first complaint was about a deo and alledgly saying I was gonna commit suicide on the phone to them .
I've been to my mp and got them involved .
Cms are starting to ignore both of us .
I've been through the independent case examiner and to the palimentary ombudsman they are all sticking up for each other they have now compastion and think of nothing but threaten and harassing of paying parents. They have even committed fraud against my son by taking more than the 4% collection fee.
Each day they are exploiting our children for their own financial gain.
Ask for a full subject access report this will show you all the mistakes they make without telling you and once you find them write as many letters of complaint to them together we can wear they down to change the system and make it better for child and parents involved.
Let their be equality in legislation
I believe the data should be changed and have proved my earning are much lower than they say, however as no letter is being responded too; I’ve sent them recorded delivery, what can I do now?!
Many thanks for any advice you can give!
From day one there has been nothing but maladministration and a carnivorous desire to deplete and destroy my life.
1. a deduction of earnings order (garnishment) of £465
1.1 deduction derived from historic earnings where existing earnings available and confirmed over the phone (recorded) yet disregarded.
2. payroll eventually provide contact information as said deduction comes marked as a court order (which it is not - and should be - thus an opportunity to have such a serious allegation and important matter adjudicated lawfully).
3. Call up agency - confirm that there is no court order and deduction subject to allegation that was not contested or responded too.
4. Agency then confirms that they have the above correspondence which was returned and unopened thus confirming that I have not received
5. I am asked if I can prove that I am not the father??
6. I ask if they have seen the birth certificate..."no"
7. I ask what proof has been provided..."none". A telephone call is all it takes
8. So how can we sort this out...a DNA test that I will have to pay for
9. OK...agree, please proceed to arrange
10. in the meantime I have my (first) child due to be born next week (sods Law I believe).
11. I am the sole earner currently and also care for my mum (tough life hey) all my person funds (salary) are catered for, and will now leave me in deficit.
12. Nothing we can do...."Human Rights?".....we will set the DNA testing up, unfortunately you will have to pay for this....I am not going to have enough money to pay for my housing, we have a little one due, I'm not going to be able to visit my mum....sob sob sob sob...distress distress distress....whilst at work; Something I had been doing for 20 odd years.
13. Baby born...(amazing experience)....new found respect for all mothers.
14. DNA? nothing has materialised. Call up to chase up (becomes a theme).
15. on paternity leave - personal income further depleted (20 years of tax paying and at one point up to £38,000 a year in TAX before father time caught up on me) and when I am at a low and need of help surly the Government would assist? I have contributed literallt through blood and sweat.. nope, zilch, £80 a month child benefit. WOW...then again I suppose there is plenty more men & women in their prime to take the spot.
16. Beg,borrow and sell to survive...who needs a car (well me for work).
17. Fast forward 18 months, off work with stress for 5 months, returned and could not focus, so handed in my notice and left. No DNA test was set up, there was a refusal to engage with me over the phone, refusal to acknowledge the birth of my child, and a refusal to demonstrate due lawful process....which is IRONIC and DEPICTS what the agency is all about..
..YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE KIDS, YOU HAVE UNTRAINED STAFF OFFERING (UN)LAWFUL ADVICE UNDER THE GUISE OF EXTRAC
I earn 1300 a month and am currently paying £435 a month csa although I agree I should pay towards my children I'm left with 600 a month too service on I also have two younger children who I pay for fortunately their mum asked for help as and when she needs it although I find this unfair, (when I informed csa I was told a £1 a week for each child will be deducted )
I had too fight too see my children and it's court order for every other weekend every other Monday every Wednesday 2 extra nights in half term a week in March and 2 weeks in summer hols ,
I do a all the traveling as this is something the mum asked in court 500 miles a month , it's court order that the children are returned fed on a weekday and on a Sunday , the children are picked up by me on a Friday with their school uniform so I've brought them all clothes so I have them with me ,
My ex has re married and has a son with the husband who is always dressed in brand clothing as of my children are in clothes 2 sizes too small for them ,
Csa has told me it's my choice too fed and dress my children and that will not be consider has said that if I met the criteria 15p a mile will be considerd ,
I finding this very hard too understand as she is on benifits as her husband works low hours they drive a nice car go on nice hols and I can't afford my own place ,
I also pay into a private pension £97 a month I informed them 6 weeks ago regarding this matter and they haven't replied with any descion but are quick enough increasing my payment due too having a 50p pay rise ,
I rang and spoke too them on many occasions and get no where as they are not interested, dose the amount i pay sound right and where/what can I do too make them listen that I can't go on like this anymore ? It's been 18 months ,
Many thanks
I'm wondering if anyone can give me advice on obtaining my full case notes from the CSA. I'm hoping to build a case to present to the ICE. From differentposts on the net, it seems that I have to word my request to them correctly or they can refuse.
Any help would be great.. also on how i go about lodging a formal complaint about 14 years of non payment by ex.
Thanks
What legal action can I take here?
Kind regards Nathan
I've been told that's it's tuff and I have to live with it
They say I o 24'000 and they base their figures on a 20'000 I earn as a van driver
1st a van driver earning that (find me a job csa)
2nd I earn 16500 sent pay slips in and they said it's to late
Would I be right to assume that closing a case and not ending the DOE and continuing and knowing that monies is being taken would that constitute Fraud in any way and with all the audits i have been through suddenly their error from 2012 is suddenly throwing up an arrears amount which hasn't been noticed in any other audits and i going to assume am not the only one that this has happened too as i have read horror stories of other people that has been getting money taken off them for longer and not getting anything back.
Thanks
We divorced in 2008. There is not a court order to rule the number of nights she is with me. There Is, However, a statement of arrangements document which is dated and signed by both of us through mediation before it was stamped at the County court.
This is the only written / signed /agreed document there is concerning our agreement.
Is the Child Maintenance likely to be able to use it as evidence of our agreement, when their website requests a Court Order?
Unfortunately we are still waiting for the arrears to be added 14 months later. I have chased this up on many occasions and keep getting told different timescales as to when this will happen. I called CMS again in Nov 2017 (12 months later) to be told there may be something holding it up and to contact CSA myself to chase it, which I did and was told by them that the arrears had been passed over on the 10th Nov 2017 and should now be with CMS but could take 2 weeks to show on there systems. So after telling the CMS that this has now happened and another call 4 weeks later I'm still none the wiser where our arrears have gone!! It's now been 8 weeks and no one has bothered to contact me to let me know what's going on and the arrears are still not showing on my case.
Why should it take 14 months to pass the arrears over and would we be entitled to any compensation for the emotional stress this has caused?
The complaint has to go to director general of csa but as usual there is no contact telephone number nor address nor email
The arrogance of the csa complaints department beggars belief as they have completely messed up some three months of payments that had been agreed by csa
As far as i am concerned this is theft or fraud as csa are sitting on over £1500 of my money and i intend to go to the police if i have no response within the next few days
The whole csa is a disgrace and the minister responsible needs to be sacked too
They are refusing to reimburse a substantial amount of money on the basis that I completed the form that they posted out to me, and that "the monies were paid for the benefit of the children and there was no reason for the agency to doubt the applications for child maintainance were not valid applications"
They tell me there is no right of appeal as this is a discretionary decision on behalf of the Secretary of State. Can this really be legal?
I am urgently in need of your help .
I have just been approached by Child Maintenance in relation to a claim made by my ex against my two children who are currently 7 years of age .
She has been in the UK for nearly five years .I separated from her few months later she arrived as she admitted sleeping with a man when we were trying for a child .In one of her explicit messages she shared with that person she clearly states that these kids could be not be my husbands and could be yours
Due to family issues ,I could not get the DNA test and i was left to believe that kids are not mine and i left her.
I settled with another women and currently have 3 other children.
I received a letter from child support agency stating that a claim has been put forward by my ex that she would like to have child maintenance and i have to pay 400 every month.
I advised that i would not be able to pay that much as i am financially in terrible situation with myself on debt management and my wife being on IVA .Further strain will put us bank corrupt .
Child Maintenance are not listening to any of my pleas .Is there any legal route which i can take to offer an alternative affordable amount like 170 pound a month ?If yes how much likley it will cost ?
I’ve had a maintenance claim since my child was 2 years old she is now 17years old, the child support agency recently when our claim should of closed continued to take payments from my ex partners wages and then proceeded to loose them, myself and my ex partner has called every day to have this resolved for about a month now and still no payment has been received
This is lonely due to my child and it’s sitting somewhere in their bank earning them interest, what can I do about this? As they keep saying is sorted and I’ll get my payment but that still hasn’t happened, today the advisor refused to let me speak to a team leader and then hung up on me
As part of the Divorce Settlement (Jan 2015) the Court ordered that I pay 500 a month to the residential parent, and that neither parties were to go for re-assessment to the CSA until Jan 2018. Even though I have made every payment for the last two years, have not gone for re-assessment, have given copies of the Court Order and a copy of the payments made to the CSA they have taken 2000 out of my account of arrears. We are currently going through the complaints process but this seems completely insane! Has anyone experienced anything similar/ can give advice?
Father's should pay the obligation amount 10% of their income not the 40% Cms wants for profit
If debt management rule does not exsit or housing costs and bills in general
Then the Cms is practicing unlawfully
Deduction of earnings is also a scam if they last longer than their mission statement says
6 months Statoury 6 months voluntary
0-100 £7 100-200 £15 an anybody who earns over that can be subjected to the higher rate
200-850 it's a con and out of 1000 income lose 400 per month
Before contact costs food fuel bills
If child support payments are a priorty bill then council tax
Then why are they taking fathers on low incomes and putting into severe hardship
And putting pricing abe fathers out of employment by excessive chargers
That go to the treasury not our children
If the goverment wants mothers to stop claiming benefits and dads to pay the short fall
Then reduce mothers benefits from the state
Father's who work have no rights to have a quality of life because the constant threat of punishment laws on an unfair tax is criminal
Harder criminals being released so working single fathers go to prison then become unemployed by having a criminal record
Stupid
If the mother uses the system as another cocersive control then it's fraud
Excessive payments food banks loss of contact by less in the monthly income
Then again it's a debunked system that is solely just finanical abuse
The advisors who give false and misleading information
Or the ones who say yes it's about money not children's out of poverty
Well again it's fraudlent and Cms is not fit for purpose
How can common sense not be involved
If the active fathers who have gone to court tribunials mediation be subjected to harassment and duress over taxation that is not in line with a person's income
Men are workers women say at home
What bollix is that
Is this the enlightened society values
Appeal process does not exsit grievance procedure also be rejected mis places or just brused aside
No its a taxation of unwed fathers who got fed up with women
Men don't exsit bills don't exsit contact with children Not in Cms best interests no money in family based arrangements
But a generous bonus in 24% surcharge on every payment
Liabilty orders given out like sweets
Doe's the same
So children matter children are being subjected to the punishment of being denied contact if both loving parents by abusive ex partners an abusive system
That be littles broken families
Expectation of the the myth of the 1950'site man
It did not exist in the 1950's so how can that be the principle of 2017
If the mother refuses an offer then she refused
Father's go to work to lose 40% and still be expected to have contact how is this possible on no income
Housing costs unrealistic
Council tax
Water gas electric TV
The goverment practice is abuse
The father who just a Corparation and can be taxed as that is unreasonable
It
He earns in a week probably more than I earn in a month, it's so frustrating and upsetting that he's getting away with this, once again, what can I do?
In December i put in a claim, the claim start date was from January, however their dad requested a DNA test. I warned them he would do this to drag out the process, however legally they had to give him the opportunity. Every month for 6 months I called to see what was happening, as he still hadn’t taken the test. Eventually they said his not taken the test meant he was their dad & he would now have to pay.
I requested that the CSA take the money from him as I knew he would not pay voluntarily. Yet again no one listened & they gave him the option to pay me directly. As I had anticipated he did not pay me directly & now they’ve decided to do a deductions of earnings from his employer. Which sounds great, my kids should finally get something from him which will be the first ever in their lives.
Problem is the CSA in all their wisdom have told me that my children will only be getting money from July & not January when my claim started. WHY??? No valid explanation had been given in the past 2 phonecalls this morning. Even when I requested to make a complaint I was told I couldn’t until I’ve spoken to the case worker who isn’t in today.
Livid is an understatement, I warned them throughout this process that my children’s dad would do his best to circumvent the system & avoid paying. The CSA is allowing him to do this by writing off the arrears from between January to July. How is this possible, it’s an absolute joke of a system, non paying parents manipulate the situation to benefit themselves & it’s unacceptable that the CSA allows this.
So what happens tomorrow when I speak to the case worker & she doesn’t let me make a complaint. I’ve no other recourse as the complaints procedure has to follow certain steps. Fuming!!!
In January of this year, my daughter went on her 2nd holiday with her father. I have only since her once since. I believe he has manipulated and coerced my daughter into not returning home. He has made a claim against me for child maintenance.
I enquired if they could offset the arrears to the amount they calculated I should pay, £400 a month (not a true figure as they did not consider my student loan but won't change it as its not 25% difference). At first, they agreed, then they backtracked and said no as their systems wouldn't allow it and the CSA and CMS are separate (Are they not both governmental sources? Part of the debt is with the CMS!). They informed me they had called my ex-husband who said he would not withdraw the claim for the amount of months to pay the debt against what I was being asked to pay.
Last week, they placed an order on my salary for £400 as 1) I was still challenging their decision to not offset the arrears and 2) I agreed to provide them with my income however, did not agree to confidential information of mine being shared with my ex-husband to which they said I had to and went ahead and did anyway.
Instead, they have agreed with my ex-husband he can pay £110 off the arrears in maintenance he owes once he is in receipt of the monthly maintenance being taken from me, around £290 a month. In addition, they are charging me £14 a week for the pleasure of having an order as well as my employer deducting an admin fee from my salary.
It is a total injustice. Not only have they been active in collecting the arrears, they then agree to allow this arrangement of his debt to be paid and the calculations they have based their figure upon is incorrect.
It is upsetting and stressful and not acceptable. I am further frustrated at the lack of ability to communicate with the CMS. They only give first names; your unable to email and they do not carry out face to face interviews.
Absolutely ludicrous! I would be interested to hear if anyone else has been in this position and all advice offered will be greatly appreciated.
After months of court battles The child in question has now been removed from her mothers care ( due to addiction ) and is now living with my partner. ( the father)
Now csa has stated deducting £90 a week 'debt' out his wages which with rent bills FOOD and heating we cannot keep up and considering the child has been taken out her care what can we do about this? Why should my partner have to pay these apparent arrears when he is now the sole career and provider for the child?
And the mothers addiction and tendency to leave her child with no food and spend money on drugs has came out in court?
My partner has just received a deo for apparent areers he has, he does not owe this money but if they refuse to admit he doesn't owe the money will they reduce the monthly payments at all?
He has not been allowed to see his son for 4 years despite many times in court (his child has additional needs and the 'mother' says it would upset the sons routine now and cafcass sided with her)
He had always paid weekly through CSA but then it made more sense to pay the 'mother' directly. She has obviously now decided to lie and say she hasn't been paid.
So as we have no paper trail i doubt they will wipe these 'arrears' so really my only question is will they reduce the payment of the deo as the amount they plan to take would leave us unable to pay all of our bills it would literally break us financially,
If he can't get it wiped then he knows he will just have to pay but £290 a month is just unaffordable. Will they negotiate the payment at all?
If you have FB join a site called CSA agency rip offs and you'll get help regarding your issue as looks like they are chancing there luck with fictions arrears.
Can someone help or advise on what to do please as he is so confused
Thanks .
My name is Michael I have 3 kids who I love dearly and have supported from day 1 , 2 from one mum and 1 from another mum!
I have an easy relationship with the mother of two now 14 and 16 years old paid for them all their life!
Mother of one! She has taken drugs all our daughters life! Bought a known wrapist into her house to live with my daughter , had a son taken away from her (not mine) by the social, evicted from her many houses!
But I continued to pay her , my daughter lived with her grandma for years also so I set D/D up to her to pay her grandmother!
She also ended up staying with myself and my new wife for long periods of time too as her home life with her mother was extremely dangerous and unsettled! . When she turned 16 years old I paid for her to live with a friend who had horses! ( she loved them) my wife's friend who was lovely ! Unfortunately she didn't last more than 6 months there as she was troubled and was used to an unstable life and this was too stable!
So she went to Newmarket and dossed with the horsing community , I was still giving her money and then eventually put her up in a flat ! I love her dearly but at the age of 18 she moved away and her mother got her claws into her again!
My daughter is now 22 years of age and is expecting my first grandchild, I'm so excited!
But a few weeks ago I had a letter arrive on my door step from the CSA STATING I OWED £17,000 and it was going to be taken directly from my wages! At £570 a month , I'm still paying £300 for my other two . I promptly rang the CSA to question this as my daughter was now 22 years of age and I was looking forward to supporting my new grandchild , but because my Ex wife has told them I paid nothing ( and here's the bombshell guys! There was no proof as she was always Adimant it was paid by cash £50 per week ( I know why now) I have been stung with a bill of £17,000 for my daughter whom I've supported all her life at the age off 22 !!!
I now am having to tell her as I'm now paying out over £600 a month in maintenance that I can't help her with my grandchild as I'm in arrears every month with bills etc because of this !!
Your all thinking I expect I was stupid not to pay her direct, but I actually don't believe she had a bank account earlier on!
So........... here's my argument !
1, If I never paid her ever ! Why only now go to the CSA??
2, she lived with her grandma for years whom I paid but that has not been deducted off this payment?? Why
3, the CSA can see I've paid for my other 2 and never missed a payment!
4 , she's bloody 22 years of age!
5, my daughter has phoned the CSA AND TOLD THEM IVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED HER AND REMEMBERS ME GIVING MONEY ETC ETC !
BUT....... there's not a thing I can do and I'm absolutely skint every month as the CSA are just taking it regardless! And I'm now worki
My ex recently decided to go through csa despite having a private arrangement in place for ten years. The arrangement used the csa calculator based on 40k. I knew he was getting dividends too but he paid a reasonable amount so i didnt bother with that.
He has a successful business with his figures available on companies house.
He went to vegas, bought a(nother) brand new bmw then told csa he was only earning 20k...despite his hmrc return last year showing a lot more, he only had to submit two payslips re his 'drop'. Maintenance more than halfed with a weeks notice.
I put in a variation to have his dividends included. He had just filed figures for the most recent tax year. The csa used the new calculation and including a few months arrears the amount went up quite substantially. As far as I'm concerned this is his own fault for trying to fluff his income and I'm unsure if he realises if he puts his wage put back up after the two months wage slips he needed for csa, that they will backdate the extra at the end of the year?
Anyway...he's now put in an appeal...if csa have used the lower amount for their calculations and his most recent figures for dividends what is he actually able to appeal?
He did try a variation for shared care but we have no court order in place and an informal agreement for 2 nights every other week (from two months before he broached csa...his request)...i challenged this as he doesnt want to be flexible so missed weekends knock the figure down to under 52 nights a year. They rejected this variation.
The website say figures can go up or down after an appeal? I have had a book keeper look at his figures and say it is a good/profitable company with no debts, he has kept £50k in the business this past year (diversion of income??) And they have recently employed more people so showing the company's taking on more work if anything.
I think this is just a case of him not wanting to pay whats assessed as then this saga of going through csa will have bit him in the a**. But will a tribunal consider other things too (his outgoings/this years profits so far etc)? And will i have to prepare any information and/or attend the hearing?
Id appreciate any advice...
Last week the cms advised us both that I had overpaid by £1700 and to get this back advised a contribution of £37 to my ex partner. This is clearly not an adequate figure, I have made a complaint to the cms and been advised that they may offer me £25 as a consessionary payment. Can anyone advise if I have a case for taking this further?
I really would like to know where I stand.
Thank you.
Is it possible to take a case away from the CMS please if they fail to recover the arrears when my ex is in work?
They have hardly got any payments for me in two years whether he is in or out of work and I have not had a single payments in the last 9 months.
The CMS seem to have lost 200 of arrears between transfer of arrears from CSA to October 16, during this period my ex was paying as if he was out of work when he was working. I ring the CMS constantly and you just get fobbed off all the time. I will put it all in writing to them again to try to recover the missing arrears, but I was wondering if it is possible to take the arrears away from the CMS and call in the bailiffs. My ex has assets but the CMS will not take action whilst my ex is out of work. I still need to buy my ex out of the family home but I cannot force him to pay what he owes me. A solicitor said I need to get the CMS to apply for a court order to coincide with the money reaching the solicitor so they can snatch the money before it is paid to him, but I cannot see the CMS having the skills to achieve this with the experience I have of them. You never get the same person when you speak to them. They sound convincing every time you speak to them, but nothing happens! I do need to recover this money, it is only a tiny fraction of the actual cost of raising children. The amount is an insult and I won't give up in principle. My ex is living with a new partner who.s children have left home. My ex has several holidays a year, 2 cars and a motorbike and is paying for an expensive time share abroad with the new partner. He puts all of these luxuries before considering his children's needs.It is really disgusting that this is allowed to go on in this country! So can I take back the control of child maintenance from the CMS and send in the bailiffs? If not now, then when he is back in work? If not, do you have any further suggestions?
That amount was calculated very loosly of off a business that was created in 2012, uk, however my ex has always worked doing what he does prior to that in different countries.
At the time of calculation I did question its integrity as my ex earns a lot of money, but was assured it was correct.
Now the CMS has taken over the case and my ex is really kicking a stink up as its no longer calculated the same, it means that they are not just calculating the national minimum wage he pays himself but also his dividends. Which adds another 0 on the end of the figure now owed each month.
So a variation application has been going now for some 3mths.
Having done some research myself I can see that my ex's paperwork was loosly put together and so the old calculation that's done by the csa was pretty much right, but now see that it really wasn't as the dividends were not included, and at no time was I informed that I could apply for a variation.
My ex is being such a pain about paying what is actually rightfully the children's money, and I have to admit I feel really bad for them, I've had to work really really hard to maintain a good quality of life for us as the ex works abroad a lot and has very limited time with them per year.
So not only have they not had all they could want physically from him but also mentally.
He should be paying more - CMS are useless, the whole system is a mess. I'm now down £1800, how can I get him to pay what he owes??? The children are suffering in this as I can't afford to do this without his help. Yet he's still swanning around in a big car, wasting money, big house & paying for his other family?! It's wrong & needs correcting immediately.
What can I do!?
I have asked how I'm supposed to find the money to pay maintenance on a further £6k worth of salary that I do not earn, and their response is 'that's the law'. Has anyone else had the same issue & how can I resolve this?
My ex wont deal with me directly on this, which doesn't help matters.
I consider this as unnecessary invasion my data protection and privacy. Is there no such thing as due process in this country any more..plus why is my privacy and confidentiality not been regarded by CMS staff .
How do I complain of this kind of treatment
In the meantime ex wife opens a case with the new Child Manintenance Service and last week I receive a letter from them rating that according to the CSA I still owe almost £4000 in arrears!!! This is in fact the amount refunded to me that my ex wife owes!!! This letter has also been sent to my ex wife which she will no doubt show our children even though she knows it is in fact her that owes this money not me!!
I have forwarded all the documentation from CSA that proves I owe nothing to the CMS but they have said it could take up to 6 weeks to sort out. CSA are saying I cannot log a complaint with them because they are closing and CMS are saying they are only going on the information CSA have given them!!
I feel victimised and bullied by both organisations!! How can I go about logging a complaint? I have already involved my MP as I am sick of all their errors!
I've complained so many times over the years and finally after going through the ombudsman got an official apology for inaccuracies plus pages and pages of computer generated drivel that was apparently my case finance records -I work in banking and none of what was sent tallied. However I was basically told that they had closed the complaint (I said their figures were wrong and I hadn't been paid correctly) because they said I wasn't owed anything at all and fobbed off with £250 for any stress caused.
Now a year later, they tell me my ex does owe me money but I'm not likely to get it and basically implying I would be better off writing it off!!
It's them that should be paying it not him - Its their cock up AGAIN!!!
Has anyone else had anything like this??
I called them straight away and the lady was quite confused herself, so she has put in a request for my caseworker to call me next week. I am just wondering now if for the past three years my case has been set up, they have been working put gis earnings from 2013, because he has has numerous other jobs in the past 5 years. Could I possibly get someone to recalculate what I should have been getting all this time, because I have always been paid the flat rate of £7.00 per week.
The case is closed with them so they say they can't treat it as arrears and the new agency say they can't take it on.
Is this a common problem?
I have finished payment for me Daughter as she's now in University, but I've now received a letter for arrears. The CSA calculated my payment, and I've been paying them for several years, not missing a payment. So how can I be in arrears?
I now have a new baby with my wife and can't afford to pay these arrears on top of supporting my family. What can I do?
Thanks,
Kev
The recommendations are that I receive a written apology and £175 compensation from the Csa which seems extremely low as I am owed over £6000 which they have not collected.
Can I dispute the award or is the case examiners decision final on that part of it please ?
Thanks
Can they still take money from you whilst the blood test have been finalised ? Thank you
I have a pub which is registered as a limited company. The CSA basically are under the wrong assumption that I am a sole trader. With all the information they have on me the judge could not understand how they could make this basic mistake ! It turns out that the bailiffs were acting under instructions and so even though the judge expressed his feelings that he had simpathy with me he could not find against Marston's. No cost were awarded either way. I was claiming for lose of use of equipment TVs etc that the bailiffs took. The time it took the limited company to fight the case and the damage to the limited companies standing within the community. The bailiffs appeared at 7pm on a Friday night :( basically the judge said I had a case against the CSA. I told him that the DWP had said I could not take them on in this way as they are a government department....... So what next ? How do I get blood out of this particular stone or do I just take it on the chin?
For the past 5 years after moving abroad I have been frustrated to no end .
I have two children in Australia that DHR hold the account to collect child support on behalf of the DHR ird international collect and inform the income assement to which a formula is calculated based on the information supplied all sounds fair enough!
For the last 5 years the DHR has sent payment assements to pay monthly payments various amounts from $3500aud to $4000aud per month based on the assements I constantly contacted DHR and ird Cs and informed the departments that the income assements was incorrect to no avail , letters to my employer to deduct from payroll embarrassing calls letters about back dated payments and penalties but still I persisted to call twice a week to be hand balled between both countries even after supplying my ird records personally and then the ird supplying them directly to HDR the response was pay our records show you earned $350000 , $312000,$294000 to my reply I wished then I received a letter stating the back payments $160000 will be direct debited from my bank account along with a monthly payment of $3800 ongoing.
Again I contacted DHR about the incorrect assements along with the evidence supplied off my income and tax returns supplied with next to no action I spoke to the complaints department to be told to fill out a reassement application along with a extention of time application so I did after no response I began to call 3 times a day eventually I was informed that both applications had been denied this was crazy and ruining me financially stressing my family I can't even begin to explain how soul destroying it became along with the DHR staff treating me like a lier and dodgie person no matter what you said , so frustrated I suggested I get legal representation and was transferred to a senior official that allocated a case manager for my account once again I explained the situation, duration, contact for the past 5 years with both DHR and ird requested she please look at the evidence I need help I'm desperate please it's impossible how can I pay money based on a income never earned to be informed this is based on our information supplied by ird international child support .
The following day I call ird and spoke with a consultant rexplaining my situation the regular contact with both departments and that I need help financially its ruined me and my family the agent then looked at my incomes and saw the didn't corolate with DHR conference called DHR and the case manager to open up a spreadsheet sent from ird to DHR and immediately apologised saying a human error had occurred confirming that my income report had been in staff error and that everything I had said and reported for 5 years was infact correct,
I asked DHR case manager how can this occur 5 years of persecution who is responsible? How? To a comment of sorry it's a human error and I will be in contact next week to advise what is next I asked
Also do they have a legal right to say how much to pay or can you legally make an offer that they have to accept, as there is no contract with the CSA.
10 years in the dirty waters
Im not going away quietly
Now for the interesting part....
Let's see who else knows procedures cause I do!
Anyone out there who wants to offer nugets of law to contribute to assist in accountability being taken (loosely denoted as clearly CSA avoids this).. feel free to offer links. Warmly welcomed!
Tick Tock.... time to answer the questions CSA. The agency has body swerved long enough... I'm so looking forward to this part!
My ex and I were together on and off for about 11 yrs. Had 2 children together. We reconciled in 2007 and got married. Marriage broke down within 3 weeks and he moved in to the spare room and removed his wedding ring. It took me 11 months to get him out. He told me he would give me so much per month. Over the years he has had promotions, but every time I ask what he earns, he tells me where to get off. Last month I contacted CSA again. They got all the figures and told me what I would be getting for my children. They rang me yesterday to say that they have closed my case because the ex told them that we had reconciled briefly in 2007. I didn't have a clue that I should have informed them. I rang the CMS only to be told that I wasn;t allowed to make a new claim for thirteen weeks because we had briefly reconciled in 2007. I am desperate as I can't pay the mortgage. He refuses to give me anything as he is now off the hook. He earns £50K p.a. Can I appeal against this decision as CSA never informed me. I am now in financial peril. Thank you.
Not a happy living parent.
I really want to expose this department's incompetence by making a serious complaint against their inefficiency. Advice me how to do that...?
( i had been paying my reg payment plus 228 a month arrears over previous 2 yr ) i paid lumpsum and recieved new payment plan with letter stating i owed no arrears 0.00. well pleased my wife,2 kids packed our bags and brought our dream home.then low and behold that dreaded call happened,"we have reviewed your case and it appears we missed 5500 of arrears from 1993"and then i was told 700 a month will/could be deducted from wages.since the start of csa i have always had DOE and apart from periods living abroad have always paid maintenance and arrears,i have appealed against this debt and asked for breakdown of previous payments.i must also add that i went to court in 2009 for a debt of 11000 which was dropped to 4000 after they admitted error. do people ever get these debts scrapped or am i fighting a lost cause?
Have had numerous dealings with CSA bolton whom assesed my case back in Feb 14. Now after several written complaints and getting my MP involved my case is being passed to Falkirk.
How long should I wait for Falkirk to re assess and will approaching ICE help.
Their slowness is getting payments to me has left me owing almost £1000 to payday loan companies.
but what takes the biscet is my ex lives alone and my son has never lived with the mother but yet he is 18 soon 19 in 2 months but was working 2 years ago have a letter from a judge saying he is working but csa refuse this letter from a judge my son is last name is not my name anymore but her last name surly this is id theft
For some reason the CSS have increased the amount of monies I am paying to approx £300 per month over I did not have a well paid job, had to pay my rent (lived down south), all my bills food etc of which some weeks I found I was out of pocket and struggled to pay or old and bills so i gave up my job and flat and moved back home with my elderly parents.
The CSa are still stating that I have to pay the £300 and want bills etc in my name of which I can not supply as it is my parents home and bills are in their name ...help!!!!!
Although I have moved back with my parents I still have to pay my way and pay for food and contribute to bills - again I find this hard and am struggling keep my finances in the black
Can you please advise!!!!!
Ps my ex is living with a new man whom pays towards the bills etc and are enjoying a good social life going on nights out around the country - please help as I am struggling just to stay afloat!!!!
Kind regards ali
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