Child Support Agency

[cheapaschips]

I am about to set up a sole trader entity to buy and sell used cars to the trade and the public. I currently work for a ford dealer and have recently been assessed by the CSA for child maintenance for which I pay monthly by standing order at £200. If I leave my employement and go sole trader how does it affect me with regards to the csa, can they assess me again as a sole trader or do they have a standard assessment for sole traders. Ideally I would like to avoid paying the csa as I know the money does not get spent on my daughter and I would rather spend the money on her myself without the csa being involved. Will they come after me again once I'm sole trader and if so how does it affect me. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[ethical PR]

If you speak to the CSA about your change in circumstances, they will reasses you.

If your daughter is being provided with a home, clothing, food, toys etc by her mother, then your money is going to support her. £50 a week certainly doesn't go very far when you are bringing up a child.

 

[hendyphilhendy]

So effectively you want to dodge your legal responsibility.

I know the feeling from the opposite end. I have a stepson and the father avoids working and does cash in hand jobs to avoid paying any CSA money. My wife and I have to pay for everything, childcare, school uniform, food and clothing. We are living with the in-laws as we have the audacity to work and pay our way and can't afford to buy or rent a house at the moment. He gets a nice little council property paid for with my tax £'s!

Whats wrong with facing up to your responsibilities!!!!

 

[Zeal]

Hi,

It doesn't have to be spent directly on your daughter.

The cost of living and bringing up children cost's a damn more then £50 p/week. Mine and my partners child is only 18 months old... £50 a week wouldn't cover half of it.

Personally, I wouldn't have even gone to the CSA... I'd have made voluntary payments

Each to their own though!

 

[cheapaschips]

I'm sorry you misunderstand and that's probably my fault for not being clear enough in my thread. I do not wish to avoid paying for my daughter and never have done so. I too have two step children and there father has never paid a penny and also does cash in hand work. When i was assesed I demonstrated that my outgoings far outweighed my incomings but it fell on deaf ears so I just have to find the money some how, the system is wrong, I have had to support my two stepchildren but they will not take that in to account. If my sole trader business is successful then I could provide more financial support but in the early stages of getting going it will be hard to meet all of my financial obligations, the csa being one of many.

 

[Zeal]

I see

Contact csa, inform them of your changes - they'll possibly put everything on hold for X amount. OR ask you how much you can afford.

 

[hendyphilhendy]

Fair enough cheapaschips.

Its as much a personal rant on my part with Xmas coming up and a father who won't contribute to the cost of a school uniform for his son. A couple of pairs of trousers from Asda at £3-4 each would have been something!

 

[thebigIAM]

If you google child support agency, they seem to have all sorts of maintenance calculators there. I tried it out by entering details, supposing my partner was the primary care giver of our one dependant child. It said I would have to pay £5 per week. Pitiful, really.

 

£50 a week certainly doesn't go very far when you are bringing up a child.

The majority of the population bring up there children on £50 or less each.

So I suggest you don't buy them so many ipods,mobile phones e.t.c.

Earl

 

[cheapaschips]

not quite sure what you mean. I want to pay and want to make sure my child has everything she needs.

 

[same day city courier]

The majority of the population bring up there children on £50 or less each.

So I suggest you don't buy them so many ipods,mobile phones e.t.c.

Earl

Yeh right! what century are you living in we'v got 2 and the food bill is £70 a week alone and thats shopping in aldi, then you got school uniform, school dinners, school want monye for this school want money for that. And for some un known reason kids just love watching water flow out of a tap!! and dont get me started on the electric, you see sirearl £50 evaporates befor it even touches the bank accout, its not a lot in this day n age at all.

 

[Connections_Media]

My dad owes me £50,400 by now then....

 

[dann]

just recently split with the wife as she was cheating and moved out with our son.
im paying £53 a week ,ive just seen that she is buying clothes for herself those day racing events for her new partner, mp3 player, memory sticks and going out getting drunk and saying on her facebook its taken another 2 days to recover from the hangovers.
im not happy plus she makes any excuse so i cant see my son (alleged)
ok ive done a dna test and it says im not the dad, but a personal one so it wont stand in court and csa took no notice of it as it was not a preferred company they use.
the csa deny me a chance of them doing a proper test as my name is on the birth cert.
and she wont consent to letting one be done .
im struggling to pay the debts she and i built up but they are all in my name as she never worked.
i dont want to give up my job but it seems the only way out sometimes.
so any advice out there on what i can do plus cant afford a solicitor at moment either.

 

[ride on toys]

There is nothing wrong in providing children what they want...but it is important to see that their need is really worth..

 

[Zeal]

The majority of the population bring up there children on £50 or less each.

So I suggest you don't buy them so many ipods,mobile phones e.t.c.

Earl

Mines 18 months old..... maybe I should refund his ipod lol.

nappies, wipes, food, then food when we're out. (can be picky at this age). clothes.. jesus.. every week he grows out of something.. did I say nappies..just had to buy a new pram - £200


Meh - I don't mind really! Love every minute of it! If our friends didn't know us... they'd think we ran a nursery in our home with the amount of toys he has

Already has us wrapped round his finger at 18 months lol

 

[thebigIAM]

Another dissenter on 'the majority of the population bring up their child on £50 or less a week each'.

Perhaps there are economies of scale - the more children you have, the less you spend on each individual - but as soon as you have one child, certain costs will kick in.

I'm curious as to why the OP thinks the money he pays in child support would not be spent on the child. What does he think it would be spent on?

 

[ethical PR]

Unfortunately lots of people who have children aren't able to live together for whatever reason. In many cases they come to a reasonable arrangement for the absent parent to help support the upbringing of their child/ren.

In some cases, where absent parents don't make a voluntary arrangement to support their child arrangements have to be made through the CSA.

On parent's forums and through meeting absent parents who have had to make arrangements through the CSA, you often hear these parents voice concerns that the maintenance they contribute isn't being used to support the child/ren in question.

They come to this conclusion because they see/hear that their ex partner maybe going out/spending money on themselves and are resentful.

There is no reason why parents who have care of their children shouldn't also be able to go out, buy clothes or enjoy themselves, just as the absent parent is free to.

It doesn't mean that they are neglecting their children or not spending the sometimes tiny amounts of money given as maintenance (support allocated through the CSA to people I know ranges from £8 to £30 a week per child) to provide the child with a home, clothing, food, school related items, care etc

 

[Bri]

Sorry to be brutal but it would be wise in the circumstances to either stick with what your doing until your CSA obligation ceases or certainly make sure your business venture includes enough funds to secure the CSA payment to your daughter. I speak from experience

And Dann, sorry I'm sorry to hear your plight but this is not the forum that will answer that question for you.

 

Mines 18 months old..... maybe I should refund his ipod lol.

nappies, wipes, food, then food when we're out. (can be picky at this age). clothes.. jesus.. every week he grows out of something.. did I say nappies..just had to buy a new pram - £200


Meh - I don't mind really! Love every minute of it! If our friends didn't know us... they'd think we ran a nursery in our home with the amount of toys he has

Already has us wrapped round his finger at 18 months lol

see thats the problem with you kids ,never heard of terry towling nappies.?

And buying all those expensive rubbish baby foods.

And having to buy a new pram at 18 monthe,Bad planning.

and all them toys you buy when science has told us that they prefer an old cardboad box.

If you spoil em its gonna cost you in more ways than money.

Seems we have a culture where money takes the place of what kids really want.

Earl

 

[dann]

how do i get a dna test done if she refuses to consent to one , if he is mine i will get a residency order but im not sure and i need to know so i can move on in life and not keep wondering.
did you know that 1 in 6 farthers in the uk are bringing up kids that they never knew were not theirs

 

[ethical PR]

Dann - this is a business forum.

Might be best to contact someone like Families Need Fathers if you are looking for advice on family breakdown related issues.

 

[dann]

i know but ive learnt sometimes you get answers from threads like these , guess its time to increase my pension funds as csa cant touch that

 

[ethical PR]

You certainly may get comments - but if you want advice you can rely on Families Need Fathers (amongst others). These organisations are set up to help advise people in your situation as well as lobby for your rights, so they are really would be best placed to help you. And if they can't they will advise you on who can help.

 

[dann]

You certainly may get comments - but if you want advice you can rely on Families Need Fathers (amongst others). These organisations are set up to help advise people in your situation as well as lobby for your rights, so they are really would be best placed to help you. And if they can't they will advise you on who can help.

see you have given me a starting place so it was worth while thank you for taking the time to reply to the thread , hope i can come back with some good news , many thanks