All You Need To Know About Child Support Agency
Introduction
The Child Support Agency (CSA) is an administrative body that was established in the United Kingdom in 1993. The agency was created to help ensure that children receive the financial support they need from both of their parents, following the breakdown of a relationship.
When a couple separates, the parent with whom the child resides becomes known as the ‘parent with care,’ and the other parent is known as the ‘non-resident parent.’ The CSA is responsible for assessing the amount of child maintenance payable by the non-resident parent and ensuring that this is paid to the parent with care.
In this article, we will look at the role of the CSA in more detail, including how it works, who is eligible to receive child maintenance, how the amount of maintenance is calculated, and how the CSA enforces payment.
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive child maintenance from the non-resident parent, the parent with care must meet certain criteria. These include:
– The parent must have day-to-day care of the child for at least one night each week.
– The parent must be the child’s legal guardian or have parental responsibility for the child.
– The parent must not be living with the non-resident parent.
– The child must be under the age of 16, or under the age of 20 if they are in full-time education or training.
If you meet these criteria, you can apply to the CSA for child maintenance.
Assessment of Maintenance
The CSA uses a statutory formula to assess the amount of maintenance payable by the non-resident parent. This formula takes into account the non-resident parent’s income, the number of children they are responsible for, and the number of nights they spend with their children.
The formula is as follows:
– If the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income is below £7, or if they are receiving certain state benefits, they will be exempt from paying maintenance.
– If the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income is between £7 and £100, they will be required to pay a flat rate of £7 per week.
– If the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income is over £100, they will be required to pay a percentage of their income, as follows:
– 12% of their income if they are responsible for one child.
– 16% of their income if they are responsible for two children.
– 19% of their income if they are responsible for three or more children.
The amount of maintenance payable is capped at a maximum of £3,000 per week.
Enforcement of Payment
The CSA has a range of powers to enforce payment of child maintenance. These include:
– Deduction from earnings orders – the non-resident parent’s employer is required to deduct maintenance payments directly from their earnings and pay them to the CSA.
– Attachment of earnings orders – if the non-resident parent is self-employed, they may be required to make payments directly to the CSA through an attachment of earnings order.
– Benefit deductions – the CSA can deduct child maintenance directly from certain state benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.
– Legal action – the CSA has the power to take legal action against non-resident parents who refuse to pay child maintenance. This can result in the non-resident parent being fined and even imprisoned.
Changes to the Child Maintenance System
In 2012, the UK government introduced significant changes to the child maintenance system. The new system, known as the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), replaced the CSA for new cases. Existing cases remain with the CSA unless the parent with care requests a transfer to the CMS.
The key changes introduced by the CMS include:
– The introduction of application fees and collection charges for non-resident parents.
– The use of gross income, rather than net income, to calculate the amount of maintenance payable.
– The use of different calculation rules for non-resident parents who earn more than £156,000 per year.
– A greater emphasis on encouraging non-resident parents to make voluntary payments, rather than relying on enforcement powers.
Conclusion
The Child Support Agency plays an important role in ensuring that children receive the financial support they need following the breakdown of a relationship. By assessing the amount of child maintenance payable by non-resident parents and enforcing payment, the CSA helps to provide stability and security for children and parents alike.
While changes to the child maintenance system have been controversial, the overall aim of ensuring that children receive the financial support they need remains unchanged. Parents with care who are eligible to receive child maintenance should not hesitate to contact the CSA or CMS to find out more about their options for support.
– The parent must be the child’s legal guardian or have parental responsibility for the child.
– The parent must not be living with the non-resident parent.
– The child must be under the age of 16, or under the age of 20 if they are in full-time education or training.
– If the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income is between £7 and £100, they will be required to pay a flat rate of £7 per week.
– If the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income is over £100, they will be required to pay a percentage of their income, as follows:
– 16% of their income if they are responsible for two children.
– 19% of their income if they are responsible for three or more children.
– Attachment of earnings orders – if the non-resident parent is self-employed, they may be required to make payments directly to the CSA through an attachment of earnings order.
– Benefit deductions – the CSA can deduct child maintenance directly from certain state benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.
– Legal action – the CSA has the power to take legal action against non-resident parents who refuse to pay child maintenance. This can result in the non-resident parent being fined and even imprisoned.
– The use of gross income, rather than net income, to calculate the amount of maintenance payable.
– The use of different calculation rules for non-resident parents who earn more than £156,000 per year.
– A greater emphasis on encouraging non-resident parents to make voluntary payments, rather than relying on enforcement powers.
What is the Child Support Agency (CSA)?
The Child Support Agency is a governmental agency that exists within the United Kingdom; the Child Support Agency is responsible for both the determination of Child Support payments required within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, as well the as the enforcement of required child support payments.
Child Support Agency: Determination of Child Support
The primary criteria in the determination of child support payments undertaken by the Child Support Agency are considered to be the legislative framework in accordance to familial circumstances undergoing the review of a child support payments. These payments are normally determined by the state of family court handling the case. Child support calculators exist that provide informational estimations of child support payments, as well.
Income: The Child Support Agency will typically assess the gross amount of income earned by both parents – custodial and non-custodial – is factored in to the determination of child support. Both parents maintain the right to life and earnings that allow for their respective needs to be met. Portioned income is allotted for the child support payment, which is calculated by the Child Support Agency responsible for jurisdictional operation.
Custodial Responsibility: The custodial responsibility – both parental, as well as financial – is factored into the determination of a child support payment on the part of the Child Support Agency. In the event that the parental role that one parent has well-outweighs the other parent’s role, the magnitude of responsibility is taken into consideration upon factoring child support.
The Number of Children: The Child Support Agency calculates and substantiates the number of the children that have been produced as a result of a marriage; in addition, any and all financial recourse and expenses are review, as well. A larger number of children involved in a child support settlement, the higher the prospective child support payments – a larger number of children is proportional to more responsibility, including both financial and parental. Both parents are required to provide an equal amount of child support – in a varied capacity – for their shared children.
Established Paternity: Child support payments mandated by the Child Support Agency are also reliant on ‘established paternity’, which is the legal terminology signifying parental role with respect to the life of the child. Both in the case of step parents and birth parents, the established paternity is assumed to be shared by the birth parents. In the event that the child lives with one parent, the other parent is required to pay child support payments. In the event that the child shares residence with both parents, arrangements can be made reflecting payment proportional to the amount of time in which the residence is shared by specific parent and child.
