Online CSA Calculator - any good?

sorry to be flippant - I thought I was the only one with a secret chocolate and shiraz fund ( which is running very low at moment! lol)

I regret not having a secret gin and chocolate fund

my £400 a month to ex for our 2 daughters is about 40% of my monthly income and i am paying her direct, no CSA involvment.
we all have different circumstances but i can't imagine trying to pay less if i am able to manage.
surely if you can afford it you should give the maximum for your kids and not quibble over a few percent.
this is just my opinion and i accept that in your case you will be giving money as gifts as well, whereas i can't give ex any more, even if i wanted to.

What I've found tough to assimilate is that my ex wife insisted on dragging the access process through court which cost me £10000+ including a successful appeal. This wasn't money I had. I was left hugely in debt with a £300 pm bill for child maintenance. My ex wife earns more than me, has the equity from the property. Meanwhile I struggle to get by, I need accommodation that's suitable for my daughter's overnight stays which is significantly more expensive than if it was just me. I don't just feed my daughter, she has more clothes and "stuff" at our place than her mum's and we ensure we spend quality time together. So I give my ex cash to look after her but I actually spend more my self to do it! Really about time CSA payments were based on the resident parents genuine need otherwise us Dads continue to be the best parents we can be on a shoestring!! Apologies for the rant but just signed up!!!

I paid my ex £600+ a month which was actually 5% more than what the CSA calculator advised, always by bank transfer on the last day of the month...in advance).

Not because I''m stupid but as a parent I couldn''t dream of my kids going without, even if this meant me eating beans on toast for 10 days a month. On days when I had them the fridge was always stocked though and they ate well


Now I have the children my Ex is claiming poverty (although I know she earns more than me). Foolishly she missed 2 payments and I contacted the CSA who have chased her. They liased with HMIT and have assessed that she actually needs to pay me 4 x the amount she was paying me

So my experience shows that not all fathers shirk their responsibilities and also that not all mothers are saints :O)