‘They took £20,000 I didn’t owe’: Parents hit by child maintenance errors
‘They took £20,000 I didn’t owe’: Parents hit by child maintenance errors
They took 20 000 I didn – Two parents, John Hammond and Richard George, recount how the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) mistakenly deducted thousands from their accounts, leaving them financially strained and emotionally distressed. Their experiences highlight a broader issue with the CMS’s handling of old child maintenance cases, which have sparked public concern and legal challenges.
A System in Transition
Launched in 2012 to replace the Child Support Agency (CSA), the CMS aims to streamline the process of ensuring children’s living costs are met when one parent is not living with them. The service calculates payments using a formula and can deduct funds from wages, bank accounts, or benefits if parents fail to make voluntary payments. However, errors in older cases have led to significant financial repercussions for families, as seen in the accounts of Hammond and George.
John Hammond’s Financial Storm
John Hammond, a 56-year-old maths teacher from Peterborough, found himself in a predicament when he noticed £20,000 missing from his bank account. This happened just weeks after he began his new job, during a lunch break when he was chatting with colleagues. While checking his banking app, he discovered an unexpected withdrawal, leaving him in disbelief. “I was so shocked that I couldn’t stop shaking,” he recalled, explaining that others in the staff room noticed his distress and questioned what had occurred.
“I was convinced it was a scam,” Hammond said, emphasizing his confusion over the sudden deduction. His children were 25 and 28 years old at the time, and his child support arrangement had concluded over a decade earlier. Despite this, the CMS had retroactively applied arrears, claiming he owed nearly £19,000.
Hammond’s case is not unique. Over 30 parents have shared similar grievances with BBC Your Voice, reporting that money was wrongly taken from their wages or bank accounts. In many instances, these errors stem from outdated child support agreements that were finalized years or even decades ago. The CMS’s reliance on automated systems has been cited as a contributing factor, with some parents struggling to resolve discrepancies despite providing evidence of their prior arrangements.
Richard George’s Unexpected Deduction
Richard George, a 63-year-old fintech founder from Devon, described the moment £18,800 was withdrawn from his account as a “horrendous adrenaline shock.” “It’s like your last money, everything you’ve got left, is taken by a scammer,” he said, comparing the experience to a sudden financial attack. His case traced back to 2016, when an appeal tribunal overturned a CSA decision, effectively writing off over £16,000 in arrears. George believed the matter had been resolved, especially since the CSA had been disbanded, but the CMS continued to enforce the old ruling.
“Even when you’re proved right, it doesn’t feel like justice,” Hammond said, reflecting on the emotional toll of his ordeal. His battle with the CMS involved a year-long struggle, culminating in a county court judge ordering the full amount to be returned and awarding him £8,000 in legal costs. Despite this, Hammond still faces a shortfall of more than £6,000.
George’s situation took a dramatic turn in late 2019 when the CMS unexpectedly initiated deductions from his bank account. He later learned that the service had been sending correspondence to the wrong address for several years, even after undelivered letters were returned and his details were confirmed repeatedly. It wasn’t until 2023 that the CMS acknowledged the arrears should never have been carried forward. “They paid the money back in the end,” George admitted, “but by then the damage had already been done.”
Government Response and Ongoing Challenges
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which operates the CMS, has faced criticism for its handling of these cases. While it acknowledged the issue of wrongfully collected funds, it did not address individual cases like Hammond’s or explain the persistence of errors in older records. The DWP stated that enforcement measures are only applied when parents fail to meet their obligations, but the system’s ability to process past cases has been questioned.
“In correspondence with the BBC, the DWP said it was ‘unable to ascertain why’ Hammond was charged £19,000,” a statement revealed. This lack of clarity has fueled frustration among affected families, who feel the CMS’s automated processes overlook human error or miscommunication.
Parents’ concerns mirror those raised in a House of Lords report, where issues of inappropriate fund collection were highlighted. Many families argue that the CMS has taken money without sufficient explanation, even when they were actively complying with previous arrangements. The service’s approach has led to lengthy court battles, as seen in Hammond’s case, where the CMS secured interim and final deduction orders before the full amount was reclaimed.
Broadening the Impact
The CMS’s errors have not only affected Hammond and George but also a wider group of parents. These cases illustrate how outdated child maintenance records can resurface, creating financial hardship for individuals who no longer owe the money. The DWP has faced mounting pressure to improve transparency and address the root causes of these discrepancies, such as data migration issues or incomplete updates when transitioning from the CSA.
For Hammond, the experience was a wake-up call. After years of working with his ex-wife to settle the initial debt, the CMS’s new calculation left him scrambling to cover expenses. His ordeal underscores the challenges of navigating a system that blends old and new processes, often leaving parents caught in the middle. Similarly, George’s case highlights the vulnerability of individuals when their details are mismanaged, resulting in a financial blow that took years to rectify.
While the CMS has made progress in some cases, the lingering impact of these errors raises questions about the service’s reliability. Parents like Hammond and George describe a sense of helplessness, as they fight to reclaim their money and prove their innocence. Their stories serve as a reminder of the human cost behind administrative mistakes, emphasizing the need for clearer communication and more robust systems to prevent such issues in the future.