Child support payments in shared care

(5 Posts)
creativevoid Fri 20-Dec-13 12:57:58

I am confused about child support payments. Based on what I have read here when there is a 50/50 split there is no child support going either way. My lawyer referred me to the CSa calculator, which talks about the non-resident parent paying the resident parent. But it also lets you choose an option where the children are with you more than 3 days per week. On this I would have to pay my stbx even in the case of shared care and me having them 50 percent (or more) of the time. Wouldn't he also have to pay me?!?!

raininginsuburbia Fri 20-Dec-13 15:47:20

The rules that the CSA used to use is that whoever got Child Benefit was regarded as the Resident Parent. This is regardless of how long the child stayed with either parent.

The non-resident parent had to pay the resident parent child maintenance although that was reduced by one seventh for every 52 nights a year the child stayed with the non-resident parent.

I'm not sure if this is different now that the rules have changed again but I don't think so. You're not obligated to use the CSA either. They'd prefer it if you sorted it out between yourselves anyway so if your ex and you are in agreement there should be no maintenance then go for it.

Also, what some separated parents decide to do when there are two children is that one parent claims CB for one child and the other parent for the other.

creativevoid Fri 20-Dec-13 22:40:41

Now I'm even more confused! I was the child benefit recipient but I cancelled it because we don't qualify. We are in mediation so hopefully we can just come to some agreement.

Shallol Sat 21-Dec-13 09:17:51

If you're 50/50 then nobody pays anybody anything according to the CSA. My ex husband pays me some money even though we are 50/50 because he earns 4 times as much as me and I stayed home to look after the children and so lost my earning power. It's not much but it helps.

creativevoid Sat 21-Dec-13 14:56:22

Thanks Shallol, that's what I thought. I was up desperately emailing child benefit to un-cancel last night!

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