Would my partner have to pay CSA?

Question

I'm due to have a baby 19th December. I'm at college full time and work part time 2 days per week (16 hours), I have been told because I'm at college and on low income I will be able to claim income support.

I'm with the baby's father but he is in the army and doesn't live with me (not even on weekends). I wouldn't be claiming Child Support as he will be paying to he baby. However someone told me that because I would be getting income support he would have to pay CSA, even though I'm not claiming that. Is this right?

Thanks

Answer 1

In your own mind you are still together and he is, albeit not living together, your partner.

If you claim IS then your poor partner will have to be involved with the CSA and they will chase you for his details and he will be chased by the CSA. As he is in the forces he will be called in to see his CO, the army accept this sort of things but the CO will be involved and ask some difficult question to your partner. The CSA are a nightmare and if you chose to go down this route of claiming IS, all his money bar £10 a week will go to the government. He will have hassle and no doubt plenty of problems.

There may be a loophole to exploit to avoid the CSA but I don't know what it is. The last thing you should do is become involved with the CSA.

  

Answer 2

LOL i have seen it all on here SO your boyfriend will never get back from the army .LOL the social will watch you like a hawk

Answer 3

if ur a single parent and claiming income support u have to give details of the babys father ie name address and then they chase him for child support. if ur on income support u will not receive it but if u dont give the details they will dock yr benefit by a certain amount. thats what they told me when i applied.   if he is the babys father why would he not want to pay to help u and support his child.     also of interest u should know that if u want him to be named on the birth certificate as the childs father then he needs to go with u to the register office to register the baby, not sure if this affects the csa position tho if he is or is not named on the birth certificate.  

Answer 4

Ok ..shhhh i know what your doing ...claiming to be living alone so you can get the tax payer to pay your rent for you ..I THINK YOU have a nerve YOUR PARTNER is in the army and YOU have the nerve to claim income support CHEEK !

Answer 5

you dont havae to go through the csa, as long as you boith have an understanding. csa is more for the partners who do not wish to give maintenance to their children, therefore it is taken straight from their wages. you can still recieve income support as you are classed as a single parent, also you would be intitled to tax credits as you are working and child tax credits the number is 0845 3009300

Answer 6

Hun i don't think they would see this as you both not being together he has a full time job and is in the army so technically you would not be a single parent if the baby's father is going to be paying for his child, when you claim income support they will ask you all of this YOU will get a set amount they give you to live on and if the fathers name is on the birth certificate he will have to pay child support

Worked for DWP

Answer 7

All the CSA sort out is payments that the absent parent makes towrds the bringing up of the child.  If you and your partner have come to an agreement between yourselves about what he's going to pay then you can't expect him to pay again through the CSA.  The CSA will work out how much he should be paying and can make him pay it but you will only get one lot of money from him.  As for Income Support, yes, it is likely you can claim that too but remember it is different to Child Support.

Answer 8

yes he would be liable to pay csa

bad how they work it out but if get income support they have to pay  

Answer 9

When I was on Income Support they automatically put a claim in to the CSA - problem with this is that you get the first £10 of CSA money then they deduct it from your Income Support.

Therefore whatever he pays out - you and your child are only getting a small amount of it. Unless CSA total comes to more than IS then you could have just CSA - but lose certain entitlements that IS would give you - such as Healthy Start vouchers.

I dont like to lie - but it may work out better for you to claim that you have no contact with child's father eg. dont know who it is. Not a pretty picture to paint of yourself but an option nonetheless.

*After your baby is born (upto 12 weeks old) and your benefit is sorted out - you should be entitled to the Sure Start Maternity Grant, a one off payment of £500 which you do not pay back.

This is available from Week 29 of pregnancy too, as long as you hit certain requirements. Take a look on the www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk website - should give you wider info on all you are asking and more.

Hope this helps x*x

- As you work 16 hours per week you would be entitled to Working Tax Credit, as a parent you would be entitled to Child Tax Credit. They dont contact CSA as maintainence money is irrelevent to them and they dont deduct from what you recieve. Should be the best option for you.