When does unpaid child support get ‘chased up’?
My child’s dad denied parentage (not on birth certificate) and went on the run so my first child support claim was rejected due to ‘lack of evidence’.
Recently we’ve been to mediation and he went on the birth certificate so I’ve done another application through csa which has been accepted..but now he’s not paying. It’s been 4months now and child support seems to be doing FA all following it up..
When does child support start chasing the debt or what steps can I take to ensure it’s paid?
11 Replies
There’s not really much you can do sorry. If they don’t want to pay then there are steps the CSA can go through based on their legislation. Remembering that they cannot go outside of their processes.
I knew someone that was owed over $30,000.
It’s very frustrating but there’s slot of ways someone can use to get out of paying.
Spending your energy on this will only drain you and make you bitter. Pass it over to the CSA and move on doing your thing providing for your child. If you get a payment then treat it as a bonus.
It takes ages. If he doesn’t pay after a long period of time they will start garnishing his wages. They can also collect any outstanding amounts at tax time, if he puts in a return.
I finally received my sons child support when my son turned 19. So don’t hold your breath.
-OP HERE-
I was thinking of a private debt collector because our child requires a lot of specialist appointments / medication etc and SPP doesn’t cut it we’re barely surviving and I’ve exhausted all my savings is that possible? CSA hasn’t answered my question there
Such a crap spot to be in. Seems like they want all the rights but none of the responsibilities. Sorry to hear of similar sh*tty experiences
Private debt collectors can’t touch it.
Plus you’d end up paying the debt collector more than you’d collect as they’d basically be chasing him every month.
If your child requires extra care (like mine did) the best thing you can do is apply for carers allowance.
I’ve applied for carers and been rejected because we didn’t meet the criteria.
Is it set to peivate collection or are CSA collecting on your behalf?
When my ex wasnt paying, it built up for a few months and they started freezing his bank account and taking any money that went in there. That was 10 years ago.
It’s CSA collect. CSA rings me every month ‘have you got current contact details, do you know where he works / lives etc’ it’s part of our parenting plan that he financially supports our child through regular child support and 50% of all other medical costs. I think he’s being paid into his wife’s bank account because no money has gone into his account (according to CSA)
Wow! Thats really really shit. Give his work place details.
Unfortunately sometimes they just don’t pay 🤷♀️ My friend is owed over $50000 and her ex gets to live the high life while she always strugggled
I got lucky once and saw my ex driving a truck for one of his friends, I then dobbed in the business for paying cash in hand and dobbed in my ex too while I was at it. It was sorted within months and I went from receiving $34 a month from his supposed 'zero' earnings to being owed over 20 000 on adjusted income of 120 000. I don't feel bad at all as they didn't feel bad about making my kids go without. This is why its important to go with CSA collect because if they ever get investigated and previous incomes get adjusted then you get owed money but if its a private agreement you can only go back 3 months. If you think you know where he works and how he is getting paid make a complaint with ato, they take it more seriously.
My father in law owes over $50k in child support to my mother in law. The kids are obviously older now and have left home. He refused to pay it and didn’t lodge a tax return until after the kids left home and he’s never had to pay it. CSA never chased it up after they left home. I honestly wouldn’t rely on child support.