CSA

[meds]

How can i get my csa payments reduced, how do they work it out?

[Bob Bacon]

http://www.separateddads.co.uk/ChildSupportPayments.html

[kev99]

Meds

The CSA and the Army have an understanding with each other, in other words you are F*****, that was a big factor why i left when i did, because it was becoming impossible to live, the more money you get the more you pay.

After 15 years in the Bn i was over 20 grand in debt and the main factor was the CSA and I'm sure there are lots of other people in the same boat, but the CSA don't take this into account.

I think there is now an officer within the Army that deals with the Lads and the CSA my be worth tracking this person down and getting some advise.

Mate i hope it works out for you.

Kev......................

[sox3044]

O im on the band wagon here now meds my favorite organisation.

Meds i was paying 790 quid a month when i left last year, all the normal, mortgage and bills, i was lucky if i had 50 quid a week to myself. Debt yes mainly cos u cant live on a monthly basis and u have to keep topping up loans to survive.

It doesnt matter what people say if you are in any of the services you have had it, easy target's . I made a decision in 1996 stay in and get hammerd by the csa or get out and probably end up on the scrap heap, im glad i stayed but you get no help or sympathy from any where. Some days it was a struggle for me to motivate my self to get out of bed as the b......ds grind you down. I wont go into every thing that ive been through with em meds id be here for a month, ive even lost 1 of my best civvi m8s who committed suicide cos of the pressures the B.......ds put on him. Over 11 years m8 i paid them in excess of 72k

You get there in the end m8, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, but you go through some tough years, i was quite lucky as i used to win a fair bit on the horses which used to tide me over, and ofcourse it never went into the bank so they couldnt touch that. Good luck m8

[sox3044]

Sorry Meds on reflection that post sounds all to negative, though things arnt great there may be a couple of things you can do to get the payments down, but it wont come down a great deal. Travel rates they work out are minimal, the big thing is that because you pay food and accomodation and may not have your own house your payments will defo be higher. If you are in a position to get a property and are divorced so she cant get her hands on it then look into it, even if you rent it out, i know the markets questionable right now but you are going to need some where to live when you leave the army. I could nt even get coucil places when i enquired about 2 years b4 i left, if you want to PM me m8 feel free, but it seems to me every case is different, The biggest dodge of all though out of the military is your own limited company and buisness. I know a guy who earns 3 x what a csm earns and only pays 200 a month. He is not the minority either, civies are much better at working out the scams.

[DP43]

Another alternative is to speak to to the ex to she what she actually gets and try to work a compramise that is a court order with NO CSA involvement, although this is not an easy option. Especially if if she is living with another partner and just wants to nail you to the deck. There are dedicated HM Forces reps with the CSA who will consult with you.
I overpaid a substantial amount of money to the CSA and 2 years later they are still dragging their heels over sending me a repayment........if I was late to pay them.....thats another story.
The secret is communication and compramise, after all some of them are human. Good luck mate.
Search the net for free legal advice 'Families need Fathers, etc'. Also try the Paymaster in the unit, I believe the Army must garantee you 1/3 of your monthly wage. ARRSE may be worth a punt as well.

[stu reed]

How can i get my csa payments reduced, how do they work it out?

This was my experience with the CSA and I am sure everyone has a different scenario, but I phoned the CSA and made an agreement with my Ex that if I paid a direct maintenance of £+++ to my Ex wife instead of the £570 CSA payment they would stop the CSA claims, it worked. Also, it depends wether or not your ex works over 16 hours a week or claims benifits, as that is the main factor for the CSA getting involved in teh first place. I would suggest try to do the same, get an agreement that you pay a maintenence directly to your ex.

[5haron]

Both my brothers have done exactly as Stu, made an agreement with their exes and it seems to work. A regular payment, then if their kids need anything extra or unexpected they pitch in. Mind you, my younger brothers ex asked him to give her extra money last Christmas becasue she was skint after buying a Nintendo Wi and complicated accessoriesi ..... for her 5 yr old (duh) - can you see why they aren't together anymore?

[tom54]

my ex even took me for half my pension (i was med disc'd), there's nothing wrong with her foot, but when i argued this the female judge made me feel like i was depriving my kids of food. the whole things a p*ss take..

[davecrim]

The CSA has 2 'Forces Focal Points'. Their details are:

SEBA (Hastings) - 01424 711716 or Gill.Wood@dwp.gsi.gov.uk (Gill Wood)
SWBA (Plymouth) - 01752 728321

I have used the SEBA one for a serving soldier, I dont know if they can advise veterans.

[willy wilson4854]

in my experience the csa have got you by the balls as soon as they find out you are in the armed forces i am currently paying 500 puonds a month for one child and it is crippling me financially my new family it hurts the most because we know that my ex does not need 500 puonds a month off us but thats what the csa are taking

[hughes949]

The csa had me by the balls while i was serving and they still have me by the balls as a civy , have a good job driving , loads of money to be made , £8 ph 50 hrs a week loads of overtime but i only get £195 a week csa has the rest , last week i made £200 in overtime on top of my normal wage but i only got £195 , they have cost me my marriage and now my new relationship is under threat , my depts are mounting daily , who is there for us civis .

[tom54]

dont know if this will help anyone, but if you get a war pension or AFAB then according to csa you only pay the flat rate of £5pw, regardless of salary. Since this thread started, it got me thinking of my own situation, and ive since discovered that my war pension and AFAB should not have been split. Ive done some sums and my payment should go down by £300pm. I also joined Forces Pension Society (www.forpen.org) who have been fantastic, they know everything there is to know about pensions!. Good luck to everyone, tom..

[rikoshea]

When I split with My Ex in Northern Ireland, I had custody of my son and came back to Wales to live. My ex and I agrred on a sum of money she would send me each month of £150 to help with my son... The DHSS were on my case for months and months threatening to stop my money if I did not tell them where my Ex was..I did not tell them that she was in the RUC. Anyway they found the information they needed and took a nearly £600 a month off her. I did not see any of this money, i was still living on £65 PW. nobody would employ me due to the fact i was a single parent. Eventually I met my present wife and I was able to go bck to work. I asked the CSA where the £600 was going and they said it was to pay for council tax, rent and so forth because i was claiming. When I said i am now working my ex stopped paying them and started paying me again £150 pm and sent £40 also pocket money for my son.

Its a very unfair way of getting money from people, and the ones who are easy targets are the forces, security forces, policemen and women. Because they are easily found. My heart goes out to you all who are suffering, a lot of Dads pay this money to their ex and still dont see their children, because their ex as turned nasty, and stopped thier dads from seeing them.

I've just met my Daughter from my first marriage for the first time in 13 years she's now 24. There is no justice for Dads in this country which I served for 10 years.

All the best to you who are suffering at this present time, but hold on to what is prescious your kids, it will all turnout ok in the end.

[Sheena Morgan]

On the other foot, its a shame that CSA have to get involved at all isn't it. My ex thinks that £80 a month is sufficient money to pay for a teenager and he even stopped paying that in June as she was off college for the summer (not working mind you). I give her £30 a week to go to college, that's on top of everything else, food, clothes, toiletries, holidays etc etc etc, so £80 a month doesn't even go half way to meet all her needs does it. Unfortunately, I've had to get CSA involved now, after 4 years, to try and get a fair amount of money off him to cover his responsibilities.
To make matters worse, I gave him half share of the house, which I thought was fair, even though my solicitor said that a fair amount should be 30%. Turns out I should've listened to him doesn't it!

[Fortyfive]

Re Overtime pay the CSA are not allowed to take into acount as its not part of you normal wages

[margrit]

I agree with all you have to say. When I came home to N. Ireland from Wales I never got one halfpenny for my two boys, was at court umpteen times, (in the days before CSA). It is very hard at the time, it's not easy, always robbing Peter to pay Paul, and you can get very angry, but you know what I brought up two top lads, by myself, just me, and they were what they were because of me and not my deadbeat partner or his money.

You'er right Rik, it does all turn out in the end. Hang in there everybody.