csa question

[sugarscrap]

sorry if this has been asked before! My fiance allegedly(!!!) has 3 underaged children from a previous marriage. He has been divorced from their mother for 10 years. Now we have got together and are planning marriage later this year. My fiance has been told he has to pay nothing towards the children as he is on invalidity benefit. I have money as my late partner left everything to me and our 6 year old son. Now we have got together my fiances wife has decided she would like some of what we have!!! My fiance is actually on less money now as he has come off the social and just has the basic DLA (as do I) but we are worried that either now, or when we marry his ex can take some of the money that my late partner left for me and our son. Does anyone have any experience of this and can put our minds at rest please? I would like to add that as we are both disabled, (but neither of us get more than the basic, non-means-tested DLA) there is little chance of either of us going out and getting a job, so the money I have been left will have to last us until it is all gone and we will have to turn to the social security ourselves.

[Ethel]

You would be far better off contacting the CSA and asking the experts! You can do this 'anonymously' via an email if you wish.

http://www.csa.gov.uk/new/contact/helpline.asp

[sugarscrap]

we are off to see a solicitor today, I just was wondering if anyone else had such experiences. Thanks for answering me :) ( I know it sounds daft but I don't really want to bring attention to ourselves with the CSA if I can possibly help it!) I meant to add too, that his ex is on the social, so anything extra she might get from us would be taken from her anyway, she is just being spiteful!! She is however already losing out as my fiance has now stopped all the little extras she was getting (because I am now paying all the bills, so he has a little money for himself at last), like taking them on holiday, money for mobile phones and such like!

Sorry to all you on the receiving end of people like us(!!) but the way I look at it is that if we hadn't got together then he wouldn't have any money, and the money I have was left to look after my son and myself, bearing in mind it is unlikely that I will ever work due to disability!

Oh well, rant over! off to see what the legal bods have to say. I will report back in case it may help someone else in the future.

[Schlomo78]

I was going to say sugarscrap that if you look on the CSA's homepage you can find out what they can take money from. I think that you should find that the money you were left for you and your son isn't taken into account. It also tells you on site how much savings etc they will take into account. This is your money although if you haave it in a joint account I would think they might see it differently.

http://www.csa.gov.uk/new/calculate/#S08

Did you go to the solicitors? How did you get on? I hope you have a lovely wedding and good luck with the ex!!

:O)

[sugarscrap]

yes, went to solicitor, he basically said the same thing. She is only entitled to a portion of my fiances income, but as he only gets DLA then she can't have any! My money isn't taken into account, even once we marry, just fiance/husbands earnings. Phew!