csa help please

[Poison-Ivy]

How many years can the csa go back?

My partner paid via csa deduction from 1995 to 1998, he then went self employed and from then he paid his ex wife direct and still does. Now he has gone back to company employment and out of the blue he has received a letter from csa stating he owes �530000!

Having been to the C.A.B his ex wife has now written to the csa confirming this but we don't know what the monies they are chasing for refer to.

All we can think is that when they first sperated in 1992 she claimed benefit and he paid her in cash each week which i'm sure probably wasn't declared. This was for about 5 years.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[gallapunk]

Can he get proof that he paid her, e.g. copies of cheques from the bank? I know it's going a long way back and I don't know how long banks keep copies of everything, but otherwise it's her word against his. Perhaps she isn't going to deny that he paid her whatever he tells the CSA he did (hopefully she won't anyway) and then if they're both in agreement, surely the CSA can write it off? Then again, they ain't the most organised of bodies, unfortunately.

Good luck, I hope everything works out. Sorry I don't have an answer for you.

[Poison-Ivy]

Thank you for your reply, they are both in agreement and all is on a friendly basis. She has wriiten to them and hopefully they will write all this off but you hear such sordid about the csa who knows!

[blackfish]

I had a similar experience when I changed my work I paid my wife in cash instead ,she denied having it so �3000 was added on to my payments.
The next time I moved I made sure I paid by Cheque but the same thing happened I got a bill for �2000.It took me 6 months to sort it out with the bank and csa
If you pay voluntary as they call it you must inform them or they keep adding it on Never ever pay cash