Child Maintenance

[Jbird]

If a child needs extra tuition outside of school, should the payment of this come out of the child maintenance that is paid to the resident payment?

[Jbird]

sorry - meant resident parent

[pink-kittens]

it shouldn't or maybe it should - but that doesn't truly come under the criteria for maintenance, does it?
Why does the child need extra tuition that has to be paid for?

[Jbird]

her maths is very weak so dad decided to look at some extra tuition and felt it only fair that both parents contribute towards the cost of £25per hour. So effectively £12.50 each per week. He knocked £12.50 off the maintenance payment to the mother who has now gone barking mad.
I'm just wondering because if he was an absent father, and she was having extra tuition, the mother would still get her weekly payment from him, out of which, she would pay for the tuition.

[pink-kittens]

ah, now I see where you are coming from
Is the maintenance set by the CSA? Or is it a personal arrangement?
To save any arguing what would have been a better option is to INCREASE the payments by £12.50

[pink-kittens]

... and then mum should pay it herself

Maybe mum doesn't agree she should have the extra tuition?

[TonyV]

Morally I think he is wrong - Was it a court ordered maintenance award, if so don't think he can reduce the amount paid.

[evil__sheep]

maintenance does not cover maths tuition, therefore if both parents want the child to have maths tuition, they should make a seperate arrangement.

[Jbird]

Interesting thoughts everyone, thank you. TonyV - the payments he makes are by private arrangement, no courts or CSA involved. A few years ago she did get the CSA involved, and when she fould out that her payments would drop by half, she immediately cancelled it!!!

[pink-kittens]

I agree with Tony, morally he is definitely wrong, but is it worth the arguing over £12.50 if the amount of maintenance is reasonable?

Pick your battles wisely has always been my mantra and it's worked for me very well so far

[Jbird]

Pink-kittens please don't get me wrong, I absolutely do agree with you, but just out of interest, why do you think this is morally wrong? The dad is struggling to make ends meet having lost literally everything through the divorce, and the mum is sitting in a mortgage free house, that the dad bought, with her new husband, who has sold his house to move in with her and yet she is refusing to go halves on a bit of extra tuition for her daughter!
Something doesn't add up to me.... or is it just the system thats screwed?

[pink-kittens]

Why? Because he should be paying maintenance at what was agreed not deducting amounts for tuition fees. What next? the cat needed feeding and as it's XX then it come out of the maintenance?

If the dad struggling to make ends meet why on earth did he choose to get paid for tuition? How old is the child?

Also, how many nights a week does the child stay with the 'absent' parent?

[evil__sheep]

there is nothing stopping him going through the csa if it would be financially advantageous for him.

[pink-kittens]

that was my next reply evil_sheep lol

If the mother doesn't like it OP, then tell her to go via the CSA.

[Jbird]

What is OP?

[evil__sheep]

original poster - ie YOU

[Jbird]

also, he's not an absent parent. He sees her 3 times a week, for days out and dinner or just hanging around at home, although she very rarely stays over because there is not a proper bed for her...... she doesn't like sofa beds!! Her choice that she doesn't want to stay

[evil__sheep]

"absent parent" in this context should be synonymous with "non-resident parent"

[pink-kittens]

absent parents just means he doesn't live with his child, nothing more =)

If she slept overnight then maintenance is assessed slightly lower for every night out of the resident parents home

[pink-kittens]

ah, lol, there's the reason you should walk away form the pc without hitting post first =D

[STIDW]

At the moment there is no formal agreement or application with the CSA so any child maintenance is entirely voluntary. When there is a court order or the CSA are involved the non resident parent is only obliged to pay the assessed amount. Anything above that is discretionary but he must pay the amount stipulated in the court order or by the CSA.

Outside the rules for CM it is possible for a court to impose a ruling that a parent pays costs associated with education, for example, when a child attends a fee paying school. The courts then look at the financial situations of both parents (and the child). Usually the non resident parent is the higher earner so they either pay all the costs directly or make an additional contribution to the parent with the majority of care who then pays the bill.