Reply to: Limited Company and Child Maintenance Service?

[Prem]

Request for unabbreviated accounts

Child Maintenance Services have requested to provide my limited company accounts. They want them unabbreviated. My case has been taken over by Financial Investigations Unit (part of CMS). Do they have power to request Limited Company accounts??

[Lost It]

Way I read it you was trying to do the right thing and asking the right questions. I've never been there, I found my soul mate first time so it won't happen so I didn't comment. Then I saw the "no parent has a right to see their child" bit and that struck me as particulalrly true as I have friends in that situation. Don't want to "pay" for something they can't have contact with. And once they do get contact there's so much disruption IMHO they would have been better leaving well alone.

Seems wierd to me, you had the pleasure of procreating to produce this human so why wouldn't you want to support your offspring?

Hey. What do I know?

[markthomas1]

Just wanted to say thanks for all your responses.

The posters opining on my 'circumstances' or the 'morality' of the situation have been particularly laughable but well done on showing your true colours so wonderfully.

As you were.

[BrilloPad]

What does that have to do with asking if a payslip shows your dividends on it?

I'd suggest you spend more time understanding how your company works than trying to avoid your maintenance obligations first.

Maybe you should ask your accountant before posting?

[easy rider]

I'd suggest you also put in regular Subject Access Requests, so you can check what the CMS are doing with your case.

I did this recently on a 12 year old CSA case, and the extent of their negligence and bias was truly shocking. They kept no proper records and were using a random number generator to determine outstanding liabilities. When challenged, they had to cancel an application for a £10K court liability order, because the real liability was a £1K overpayment.

12 separate complaints for gross maladministration are now being investigated by the Independent Case Examiner.

[northernladuk]

You have no idea of the OP's personal circumstances. I have a friend who was not allowed to see their child in the 1970s - so the judge awarded no maintenance against them. No parent has the right to see their child - and the less you see of your child the more you pay. A sort of pay-to-not-view.

What does that have to do with asking if a payslip shows your dividends on it?

[BrilloPad]

I'd suggest you spend more time understanding how your company works than trying to avoid your maintenance obligations first.

You have no idea of the OP's personal circumstances. I have a friend who was not allowed to see their child in the 1970s - so the judge awarded no maintenance against them. No parent has the right to see their child - and the less you see of your child the more you pay. A sort of pay-to-not-view.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Child Maintenance is worked as a % of gross income, effectively the total income from your annual tax return (it used to be net income but changed I think in 2014 or 15).

But the CMS are so slow on the uptake. For 3 years now they have calculated based on salary only and ignored dividends. I even phoned them up 18 months ago and told them to recalculate including the dividends but they still carry on ignoring them. I do my own calculation on my gross salary and pay that.

It's your kids you are talking out here, do them a favour and pay them the right amount. If you are taking a piddly salary and just paying based on that you are risking the CMS waking up and giving your ex the ammunition to come after you.

What really annoyed me about the CMS was how they based all the calculations on the previous tax year. When I got separated/divorced that co-incided with a period just after a redundancy and 3 months notice pay whilst on the bench, they then calculated my payments assuming I was still earning as a permie with the redundancy pay on top of the notice pay and I was on the bench and the ex had already spent a proportion of that money!

[gables]

Hi thanks for your response. I take it your payslip only displays your salary and no mention of dividends?

Did CMS accept this wihout querying your dividends? how quickly did they re-assess your liability once thy'd received your payslips?

Yes, just the salary. They were quite quick, maybe a couple of weeks might have been 3, can't really remember to be honest.

[radish2008]

I'd suggest you spend more time understanding how your company works than trying to avoid your maintenance obligations first.

This.

[SueEllen]

Thanks. Why would the shareholder need to only be a spouse? I'm not married and the shareholder is a relative. Why would this be of relevance to the CMS please?

So this shareholder who is a relative also contracts as well through your company?

I've contracted alongside siblings and father/daughter contractor companies. Anything else simply looks dodgy.

[northernladuk]

Get yourself an accountant and go through it all with them. This looks like its going to turn in to a car crash for you and CMS will be the least of your worries.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Thanks. Why would the shareholder need to only be a spouse? I'm not married and the shareholder is a relative. Why would this be of relevance to the CMS please?

Why are you giving away a share of your company and any dividends you declare? That's very generous of you. Are you forming some kind of business partnership?

[northernladuk]

Hi thanks for your response. I take it your payslip only displays your salary and no mention of dividends?

I'd suggest you spend more time understanding how your company works than trying to avoid your maintenance obligations first.

[markthomas1]

I just provided payslips from the payroll software I use.

Hi thanks for your response. I take it your payslip only displays your salary and no mention of dividends?

Did CMS accept this wihout querying your dividends? how quickly did they re-assess your liability once thy'd received your payslips?