Do I have to pay CSA if I don’t see my child?

In this brief blog, we will be talking about paying your CSA if you don’t see your child, the calculation of CSA, how to apply for CSA, and more information about paying your CSA if you don’t see your child.

Do I have to pay CSA if I don’t see my child?

Yes, you have to pay CSA if you don’t see your child.

The parent who doesn’t get to see his or her child is blaming visitation issues on why he or she can’t pay the necessary bills for child support. 

But CSA and visitation are different concerns which the parents should not be wasting their time with.

After all, both parents are still in the eyes of the law caretakers of the children or child.

Parents are obligated to support their children no matter the circumstance such as being their stepparent or adoptive parent.

Although you don’t have to pay CSA if you became a parent through donor insemination. 

The paying parent should be able to pay his or her end of the CSA by following the legal process to help the child.

This kind of parent is not obligated to create impossible cases where the child is to make an important decision that might affect the current child support concern.

How is CSA calculated?

The following are indicators of how CSA is calculated and how important the parents should know about this even if one of them can’t see his or her child

Gross income

Child maintenance through CMS depends on your gross or average weekly income.

If you are a parent who is self-employed, you will need to show your complete taxable profits.

The CMS will calculate the appropriate amount for each parent to pay for the CSA.

Although parents can also decide on the payment on their own.

Like paying council tax, some certain groups of people may reduce the payment for CSA based on their income and other factors that are suitable for child support.

You can learn more about council tax by buying this book on this website.

Exemptions and deductions to the rule

You are a parent who will be exempted or having deducted your CSA bills when you meet one or more of the following conditions:

• have a gross or average weekly income of less than £7.
• are incarcerated
• are under the age of 16 years old
• are a 16- to 19-year-old who has not attended school anymore but is enrolled for specific forms of government-approved training courses or classes
• are a 16- to 19-year-old who is in full-time and non-advanced education (up
• to and involving A-level or equivalent standard
• are a 16- to 17-year-old who gets several welfare benefits such as Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• are a 16- to 17-year-old who is involved in their partner’s reception for Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• are in a care residential home or private hospital for which you are getting help and assistance with fees.

Shared care

If your child or children remain with you overnight, you are eligible for a deduction of your pay for the CSA.

The child or children should be staying with you for one night every week.

If both parents share care for their child equally, they’re not obligated to pay CSA to each other.

If you don’t speak about your shared care situation with the CSA or CMS, the group will estimate that you may be letting the child stay for one night per week. 

In this case, you’ll typically pay one-seventh less CSA.

You can learn more about how to accommodate your shared care arrangements by getting tips in this book that can be bought on this website.

Do I need to pay CSA according to the Child Maintenance Scheme of 2012?

Both parents are obligated to pay for the financial concerns of their child or children.

If both parents have moved on to separate ways, the paying parent will have to pay CSA for the parent who is taking care of the child or children on a regular basis.

Here are some conditions that you need to meet that will make you obligated to pay CSA in regards to the Child Maintenance Scheme of 2012.

Are you the biological parent of the child or children?

You have an obligation to take of your child or children in their financial concerns as long as you meet one of these conditions:

• biological parent
• adoptive parent
• legal parent and your child were born as an outcome of donor insemination, fertility intervention or surrogacy.

In some instances, parents of children or child who were the result of donor insemination were recently not obligated to pay CSA.

This can occur as long as the parent can prove the following:

• it was arranged and filled up through a licensed clinic
• the lesbian parents to whom the donation was made are in a civil and legal partnership. In this case, both women are referred to the legal parent and the donor is not obligated for financially supporting and assisting the children.

You can learn more about the experience of lesbian couples taking care of a child by buying this book on this website.

Do the parents live in the UK?

The Child Maintenance 2012 Scheme only works for parents who are situated in the UK with the paid child or children

How old are the children?

You don’t have to pay the CSA if your child or children are already above the eligible age.

How much CSA maintenance will you be obligated to pay under the 2012 Scheme?

You will be obligate to pay CSA maintenance at a price range depending on the following factors:

• your gross or average income
• the number of eligible children
• the number of other related children

Your gross or average income is your payment when you haven’t paid any legalized taxes at all.

As mentioned before, you don’t need to pay CSA if you are caring for the child together with the other parent.

If you’re the parent who has to pay CSA for your child, you can apply for this 2012 Scheme and not wait for an ongoing application process for CSA.

How to pay CSA maintenance arranged and planned by the Child Maintenance Service?

You can pay directly the CSA to the parent who is staying and caring for the child. In child support, this is called Direct Pay. 

You can always choose the CMS Collect and Pay service to give your CSA payments and letting CMS deliver them to the caring parent.

This service is entitled for some fees as well.

The caring parent can learn more about caring for their child with the financing secured by buying this book on this website.

What occurs if you don’t pay CSA?

If you don’t pay CSA, your child will be likely to be in a dangerous situation without the finances stabilized.

Also, the CMS will be taking measures to make you pay your debts such as the following:

• you could have money reduced from your benefits, wages or bank account
• in England and Wales, the bailiffs could come to grab your assets away so they can be sold
• you could be placed ineligible to drive.

If you’re already paying CSA arranged and planned by the Child Support Agency (CSA)

If you’re already paying CSA under the provision of 1993 or 2003 Schemes arranged and planned by the CSA, you must remain doing the payment procedures.

But your child support case might be liberated from 2014 to 2017.

The caring parent may try to arrange a family-based situation for you or he or she might apply to CMS as a new application for CSA.

If your old case is diminished from this situation, you will be paying CSA using the 2012 Scheme to make your child support case a new case.

You can look up some reviews about the Child Support Agency by buying this book here.

What occurs if one of the parents is deceased?

Death might be a very reluctant topic to talk about but it can affect the payments of CSA.

You need to be acknowledged that this kind of issue will be looked after to make sure the child is still obtaining something for his or her welfare.

Guardians

In your will, you can state a guardian who can take care of your child or children when you become deceased.

Most cases would use a reliable family friend. 

Guardians are given the CSA to have some things that can take care of the child or children’s welfare.

It is accommodating if the parent only chooses one guardian than having co-guardians which might confuse the parent on whom to give the CSA to. 

But if the other parent has some responsibility for the child, the guardian can dispute on this situation.

As most cases of child support, the court is more concerned about the child’s welfare from each adult. 

The court will typically take the best interests of the child or children at heart when it comes to someone who is compassionate and responsible enough to take care of them.

Other parents

If the resident parent is deceased, the non-resident or paying parent will be the one taking care of the child.

In this case, you are not allowed to have residential care for the child. 

This is why the court will look you over if you are the parent that is appropriate in caring for the child.

If you are considered appropriate, you will have full custody of the child even if the other parent has made another guardian to take care of the child in his or her will. 

If you are found to be inappropriate, the guardian will have full custody of the child and may lead you to make some arrangements if you still want to see your child.

Conclusion

In this brief blog, we have talked about paying your CSA if you don’t see your child, the calculation of CSA, how to apply for CSA, and more information about paying your CSA if you don’t see your child.

If you have any questions about you paying your CSA if you don’t see your child, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

FAQs: do i have to pay csa if i don’t see my child

Citations

Citizens advice. Do you have to pay child maintenance under the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme?.

ILAO. PAYING CHILD SUPPORT WHEN I DON’T SEE MY CHILD.

Separated Dads. A Guide to Child Maintenance Payments.