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• How much money can the CSA take from me?
• I’m receiving benefits, how can I pay?
• Debt Collection Agencies(DCA) and the CSA
• Should my case be with a Debt Collection Agency (DCA)?
• If you have been threatened with bailiffs.
• What kind of bailiff can collect arrears for CSA?
• What goods can the bailiff take from me?
• What about my car and business assets?
• Disputing parentage.
• CSA Collection & Enforcement Regulations.
• How can I check if the bailiff fees are correct?
• Where to go for advice & support.
  
  

Debt Collection Agencies(DCA) and the CSA

In addition to the bailiff companies that are listed above, in early 2006 the CSA introduced The Operational Improvement Plan to tackle the arrears situation. Under this, contracts were entered into with private Debt Collection Agencies. The companies are as follows:

• Eversheds Solicitors
• Legal & Trade Collections.

Unlike bailiffs, these two companies will not be charging you a fee. In our experience, in most cases, it is much easier to deal with debt collection companies as, unlike bailiffs, they can agree simple repayment arrangements and also, they will not be charging you a fee. Their fees will be paid instead by the Child Support Agency.

If you are unable to repay the entire amount due, you can instead offer an affordable sum by way of monthly repayments. In order to do this, it is vital that you provide to them a financial statement, commonly called an Income & Expenditure Calculation together with an offer of repayment. By visiting our Letters section of our secure Downloads area you will see that we have provided you with an example of an Income & Expenditure that can be adapted to suit your own particular needs.

If you ignore correspondence from these companies, they can enforce the debt by way of charging orders, attachment of earnings etc, for this reason try not to ignore correspondence from the Debt Collection Agencies (DCA)

If the debt is agreed, our advice would be to complete an Income & Expenditure together with an offer of repayment at a rate that is affordable to you. There is nothing worse than agreeing a higher figure than you can safely afford as you will very quickly fall into arrears, either with this payment, or other essential household bills, such as rent etc.

If the debt is not agreed, please see under the section entitled: IF YOU HAVE BEEN THREATENED WITH BAILIFFS. Here you will see details of how to apply for a copy of your personal data file from the CSA, which you will find under our Subject Access Request section in our Downloads area. You must also write immediately to the Debt Collection Agency (DCA) to let them know that you do not agree with the amount being claimed. In the letters section of our Downloads area you will be able to also access a letter that can be adapted by you, that should be sent to the company informing them that you dispute the debt and requesting that the case is put on hold until such time as an adequate response has been received from your request for a copy of your personal data file.

NOTE:

We now have a Help Line  available on:  0906 550 0145   For further details see the Contact Us page.