Alternative to CSA based on childs needs:

Here's an alternative to CSA... one that is based on the childs needs... and what the parents can and are expected to pay according to their means...

This is from a different country, and how they work out what child support should be paid to the PWC. My knowledge of the language isn't perfect... but I've done it to the best of my ability... They do not have the equalent to CSA, and they encourage parents to work it out between themselves.


Guideline for parents to work out how much a child cost a month:

General cost of child (food, clothes, etc) + childcare + misc costs – child benefit/any other benefit received due to having children = Need of the child.


If parents cannot work these number out between themselves, then there is a guideline of expenses to go by, and if people refuse to use it, then the court will use the same guideline to work out what maintenance to be paid.


Now... parents are not just to work out the child(rens) costs... but they also have to work out how much they themselves should be contributing towards the child.

So... each parent has to figure out the “extra” money they got left over after they have paid their own bills at the end of the month...

Income – tax – travelling cost to work + any extra income – tax of any extra income – ones own living costs – misc costs – rent/mortgage (if benefits are given for this then that will have to be added as an income) = “surplus” money


There’s also a guide for working out deductions for children living with a parents, but I will skip this one for now... if anyone is interested, I’ll be happy to post it, but to make it a bit simpler, let’ pretend there’s only one child in the picture at the moment, and no others living with either parent.


A = Child needs x B = NRPs “surplus” money / C = NRP and PWCs gathered “surplus” money = D = Child support...



So... let’s put this into figures per month...

General cost of child: £150
+ Childcare: £200
-Child benefit £75
-Child Tax Credit £20 (I really got no idea how much that is, so I just stuck a number in there)
= Childs needs £255



Let us say the PWC earns £20000 per year, and the NRP earns £25000 per year...

PWCs monthly figures:

Income: £1666.67
- Tax £366.67
- Living cost £200
- Car £120
- Mortgage £450
= Surplus money £529.93


NRPs monthly figures:

Income: £2083.33
- Tax £458.33
- Work expenses £100
- Living cost £200
- Car £150
- Rent £400
= Surplus money £775

(Yes, yes... I know the both must be living in really cheap places... lol! But it is only an example after all. Where I have added in the car, I have done so as a car is very much important in a childs life... the NRP and PWC will often both need cars for the convenience of taking the child to places, so it has been added as an important part of the deductions. Adding hire for a sailboat there would clearly NOT be relevant!).


Now... to figure out how much the NRP should pay in maintenance a month:

Childs needs: £255
x NRPs surplus: £775 / both parents surplus £1304.93
= Child maintenance: £151.44


This is what the NRP should contribute a month, as the PWC should contribute the rest.

If the NRPs surplus money is not sufficient to cover what they are supposed to pay in maintenance, then the maintenance should automatically be reduced, as one cannot pay what one doesn’t have.


If the child stays with NRP, then a deduction is made for each 24 hours the child stays. If the child starts earning money of a significant amount, then maintenance should cease as the child can then provide for itself. If the child gets a small part time job, then this should also be taken into account, and maintenance reduced.

If one of the parents should become very well off, then the child would of course benefit from all the time if it was the PWC, and if it was the NRP, then the NRP should be considering giving more maintenance, but this does not have to be in the form of cash, it can be paying for after school activities, etc, and of course the child would also benefit from it whilst visiting the NRP.