CSA
 

I am planning to emigrate in the next 12-18 months and have an existing CSA commitment until 2017 for a daughter that wont be emigtating with me. Is anyone else in the same predicament that can share there experiences? Do the Australian CSA take over my case or do I stay with the UK branch? Is the system different in Australia which can change the amounts I pay now etc?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks! :)

Re: CSA
 

The UK CSA is who you will remain dealing with. Australia has nothing to do with the legal or financial arrangements between you and they.

Re: CSA
 

Thanks Centurian. Do you know this from personal experience?

Re: CSA
 

Hi Yorky

Once in Australia or anywhere else in the world you have no financal commitment..you wont be earning a UK wage so you dont have to pay the CSA at all.

Steve

Re: CSA
 

No financial committment but moral committment perhaps.

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Moralaty is down to the individual circumstances. If the system was fair then you have a moral obligation. If not, well....

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I agree,the system is CRAP...a mate of mine killed himself after over paying the CSA for years..when the mistake was found they told him to see his ex for the money...WTF

Re: CSA
 

Thanks all for your feedback.

I dont want to freak anybody out, but my understanding is that I still have to pay CSA for my daughter in the UK, see the following links:

http://www.csa.gov.uk/en/setup/paren...ing-abroad.asp [/URL]

http://www.csa.gov.au/InternationalP.../uk.aspx#payer

I dont have a problem in paying at all. I just want to make sure I dont get shafted and find myself unable to "live the dream" cos I'm sending all my cash to the ex wife! :banghead:

To have a half decent standard of living in the UK, I had to set up a limited company as I was struggling on PAYE. Does setting up a limited company in Oz exist and can I set one up for the same reasons if I have to?

If I stay on the UK system, only my earnings are taken into account. If my case switches to the Australian system, then my ex wife can get her hands on my wifes wages too! Arghhhh....will I ever escape the ex wife!!! more :banghead:

Before I can even think about emigration, I need to understand what my CSA committments will be.

And yes Steve, your right....the system is unfair in the extreme....they have been making my life my life a misery for the last 5 years and I dont want this to wreck my new life down under.

I'm currently looking into the legal situation with a migration agent, but if anyone has had any CSA experiences when moving to Oz, good or bad, I'd love to hear about them. :fingerscrossed:

Thanks

Re: CSA
 

You wont have any obligation to pay except morally.

The UK CSA wont do a thing, we had this problem with sons biological father, who gave up on him.

Id come up with a personal arrangement, as the CSA caused nothing but a hinderence and is typical of a useless UK system.

Re: CSA
 

This has been discussed extensively before. Sorry, too lazy to find the old threads for you.

The legal position is: The UK CSA cannot pursue you, because under UK law you are only legally obliged to pay if both you and the child live in the UK. (This means your case does not "switch to the Australian system" - your post sort of implied that's what you think.)

However, if you stop making the payments that the UK CSA has stipulated, your ex-wife can apply to the Aus CSA to assess you for making payments - and they wll then use their rules to calculate what you have to pay (http://www.csa.gov.au/InternationalP.../uk.aspx#payer ). Obviously, your ex-wife needs to find this out first...

Therefore: Look into the calculation methods of both UK and Aus CSA. If the UK CSA is more favourable, carry on making their payments.

Re: CSA
 

You can set up a Pty Ltd company which is similar to a UK Ltd or other people may operate as a trading trust. It would depend upon what type of work you do as to if clients would accept this arrangement. In IT contracting it is the norm to use a Pty Ltd or the services of a managment company who structure your income through a Pty Ltd.

Re: CSA
 

If the ex goes to court and gets a REMO agreement, then, and only then can she go through Australian CSA. Aus CSA will only backdate to the date of receipt of the REMO agreement, not to the date of arrival/starting work.

Believe it or not, you cannot apply to Aus CSA yourself to set up an arrangement because the child is outside Australian jurisdiction.

Re: CSA
 

So true Arkon, so true......

Re: CSA
 

Thanks everybody for your feedback.

I think my first step will be to see if my ex will except a one off lump sum and see how things go. :fingerscrossed:

Re: CSA
 

Yorky.
I have carried on my existing payments to my ex for my daughters. I was lucky in that we both agreed an amount and it was ratified by the CSA but that was as far as their involvement went, the divorce courts were then satisfied that the children were being financially cared for by the absent parent. We have kept the same amount for the past 10 years and since being out here all I do is transfer some funds over every month to cover the amount. We were mature and put the children first, no arguing, no bickering and everyone is happy. From a personal point of view I would be wary about offering a lump sum as you cannot guarentee who it will truly go to, the ex or the kids. Also it may not be recognised by the CSA and may cause issues at a later point. Just keep doing what you already are for the duration of your term and you will be fine, if the ex kicks off then just keep that little 'no legal obligation whilst not in country' reference to hand and hopefully some sensibility will kick in. Just make sure that you do your bit for your daughter until 2017 and don't reduce yourself to anyone elses standards.

Re: CSA
 

Your right of course,I paid until my kids were old enough and before I came to Australia,but one of the many things that pissed me off with the CSA was the money i paid to them,my kids did't get.

some of the money was used to pay for unmarried mothers and their kids because they would refuse to name the dads.

so again, a crap organization from begining to the end:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown:

Re: CSA
 

Yes, I can see that it would be inconvenient for someone to have to pay for their children once they have decided to start a new life thousands of miles away. I can also see why some people become limited companies to pay themselves a very low wage as a company director and then produce this evidence to the CSA to reduce the amount of payments they have to make. The thought of a one off payment to absolve someone of any financial obligations to their children in the future, yes I can see that might do the trick.

Re: CSA
 

You could always tell your ex you are moving to Brasil.

Re: CSA
 

And considering the OP was trying to find out how it worked as he felt he had a moral obligation to pay for his kids and wondered if a one off lump sum would be a way your response seems, hmm, shall we say rather snide.

Do you know the OP's specific situation? No? Do you know if he gets to see his kids? No? Nor do I. Thats why I won't judge him. Its not a question of it being inconvenient to pay for the kids - its a matter of the ex has to go through a certain legal process in the UK to be able to do so through the CSA and maybe he's trying to work out an easier way to do it, and maybe, just maybe he's not just looking at his perspective.

Re: CSA
 

Bit harsh mate without knowing the facts.

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Thanks for your support NikiL.

As usual, people are too quick to judge. If renshen had read my original post, she would have seen that I dont have a problem in paying. All I was trying to find out was how the system worked, so I can have as seamless a move to Oz as possible. Pity some people dive in feet first without having a clue or giving a single thought for the circumstances involved.

Re: CSA
 

You're more than welcome - I get extremely fed up with the assumptions that all fathers are feckless and want to avoid payments at all costs. It seems to be the default position for a lot of people unfortunately.

Please feel free to pm me if you want any more information on how it works from this side. I can only tell you what we've been told by Aus CSA when we applied to pay the mother in the UK and what we've dug out on REMO but more than happy if I can help any further.

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If I knew which button to press, I might take you up on the PM offer. I'll be back after taking advise from my 13 year old daughter who knows so much more about these things than me! :confused::unsure:

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No, I don't know the OP's specific situation, I have only his words on this thread to go on "I just want to make sure I dont get shafted and find myself unable to "live the dream" cos I'm sending all my cash to the ex wife!"

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Exactly, 'ex wife' being the concern of where the funds were truly going, not the child. Believe it or not there are some especially spiteful ex partners around who have custody of children and use that custody to bring about as much mental and financial harm as is possible to their ex partners. It is a sad but true indictment of the CSA system that it does not recognise that fact. I am completely for responsibility on the absent parents part, but there are a minority of single parents who really have pure poison running through their veins.

Re: CSA
 

That doesn't mean he doesn't want to pay, just doesn't want to get shafted. As someone who's salary got taken into account by UK CSA because OH's ex wife decided me working meant she should have more money from my OH, resulting in me being the only one who could pay any other bills including the mortgage I can absolutely see where he is coming from.

We looked into it before we moved as well for exactly the same reason.

Re: CSA
 

I can understand your viewpoint because of your situation. My viewpoint is also based on my experience. IMO somebody should not be planning "a new life" thousands of miles away if paying for their children is causing them financial difficulty. My priorities would be different. That's not to say your views are any less valid, just different to mine.

Re: CSA
 

I don't see anyone on this thread saying they are planning a new life thousands of miles away and paying for their children will cause them financial difficulties???

The OP asked how the system works if he moves to Oz so he could understand when his ex will be able to claim additional money over what the UK CSA has him pay now.

You then decided to imply there was something else going on and decided to be judgemental.

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"To have a half decent standard of living in the UK, I had to set up a limited company as I was struggling on PAYE. Does setting up a limited company in Oz exist and can I set one up for the same reasons if I have to?"

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And what is wrong with that considering how the CSA gouge you?

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And when you are separated or divorced, you can't live your life around your ex and expect to get on with your own life. Ultimately they are no longer together and he has to do what is best for him first and if that means it will benefit his life by moving to Oz to go for it.

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Wish I'd never asked the b****y question.

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Please don't worry about it. It was a perfectly reasonable question to ask. You just got one idiot chipping in. Well, that's life - idiots are everywhere.

For every idiot on here, there are lots and lots of helpful people. So, don't be put off asking questions.

P.S. Forgot to say: once you've been on BE a while you know who the idiots are and just ignore them ... Best way.

Re: CSA
 

It's an emotive subject and without typing a 2000 word essay every time, it's also hard to get the full story across.

Questions about tea bags have caused issues on here, so I wouldn't worry. The info you can pick up on here is often very useful and can help you make a good decision.

Cooler

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Thats because some morons can't actually read what you wrote, then jump off the deep end and want to let us all know their moral standing on a point that nobody else has ever raised. As if any of us give a crap about their moral stance or might be vaguely interested in it in any way.

Re: CSA
 

You've just actually answered your own argument. The OP was making sure that he won't be creating financial difficulties within his new life which means you've actually just agreed with his original logic that you criticised in the first place :rofl:

What he's done seems rather sensible to me - to the extent that it ensures the financial stability for the children. Certainly better than diving in headfirst, then finding out that you've got no money from one day to the next, and then no money left to be able to send the ex resulting in everyone suffering.

Re: CSA
 

Well, I'm glad you did. It means you can approach everything from a more informed position which has always got to be good. :thumbup: If anyone else reading becomes more informed about how it works as well, then you've helped others by asking it as well.

Post about kids usually get jumped on, put CSA in the equation and you've got an even bigger likelihood. Don't let it bother you mate.

Re: CSA
 

I am not going to get into a slanging match on here but I am not an idiot or a moron. I don't think there is any need for name calling. Somebody close to me is struggling to raise their child. The father formed a limited company to falsely show that he is on a low wage when really he is having a very good lifestyle. The role of the CSA is to calculate a reasonable amount for an absentee parent to pay. Yes, I know that they make mistakes and people disagree with the political way in which their resources are targetted but the reality is that, for a lot of parents raising kids, the CSA have been helpful in getting them money that they would otherwise have gone without.

Re: CSA
 

And the other side of that reality is also that a lot of parents who aren't allowed to raise their kids they are used as a money tree. My OH was left with less a month than our mortgage cost to pay all bills and travel to work after he'd been bled dry - because I worked as well they decided to take my wages into account because she said he had too high a standard of living. She decided that because I was talking about buying a new car if I was made redundant........

Had we had the option of setting up a limited company with what we do I would have taken it as I objected to having to pay for everything, including his son who lives with us - and sorry, I don't see why the hell I should have to do that.

I don't judge all ex wives by this standard - you shouldn't judge all ex husbands by your friends exes standards.

Re: CSA
 

You are confusing a closely subjective circumstance with an objective viewpoint and have allowed your experience of Someone Elses pain to cloud your vision in this subject. You may also be seeing your friends viewpoint without understanding why her other half had taken that stance. Its difficult for you I am sure, but you really should of thought about your comments first.