Help please!!!

[~ElectricPink~]

I've just been reading the thread about child support...and I really need some help! If the fathers name is not on the birth certificate, does that mean you don't have to claim child support? And does that affect your parenting payment in any way? I've been searching for any information on this and have come up with nothing. Please help!!!

[LilShenanigans]

My personal experience:

DD's father isn't on the birth certificate, When I registered with CSA they sent out a stat dec that he had to sign and send back to say he was the father.
He never did it though because he's a **** :D

Without payments from the father, PPS is on minimum... don't ask cause I don't understand why!!

If you get support payments, your PPS will go up.

Hope that answers a couple of questions, anymore you might have to PM because Im lazy re-reading posts :)

[AngelHope]

Not advocating this but..

If the fathers name is not on the birth certificate, you can simply tell centrelink that you don't know who the father is. There's not much they can do about that.

Of course this has future implications, if you ever change your mind and decide you want child support. So be careful which path you choose to follow.

If you don't want to do that, then yes, they will force you to make child support arrangments with the father, or be penalised financially.

[~ElectricPink~]

Oh that is just stupid!!!! :mad: There is no way that he is going to acknowledge that he is the father, so I lose out on money because of it! :banghead: If you tell them you dont know who the father is do you get less money?
It is really stupid...why should we get penalised just because the father is an idiot who won't take responsibility....GRRRRRRR!!!!!

[LilShenanigans]

I've done my ranting and raving about this too, I know how you feel!! (I'm still quite peeved about it actually).

Basically, centrelink can force you to seek child support payments. You can do everything in your power and still end up receiving nothing... but there's a good side to that too.
If you register with CSA, get them to track him done, get legal aid advice(usually free) and go from there, your showing centrelink you are trying.

Centrelink can't penalise you if you've done all you can and hit a brick wall - if they try, get a second opinion.
Also, with hope CSA will keep the case open if you notify legal aid to track this guy down... then if they do, he has to back pay every last cent you are owed.

I have a really great guy at CSA who is so hopeful with all my silly questions, so it'd be a good idea to call them and discuss any probs. And call legal aid for their advice too, ask as many stupid questions as you want!

It's a bummer there's so many probs with centrelink/csa, but there are a few good things (altho rare) that can be found.

[LilShenanigans]

OH, another thing. If he refuses paternity, you can order a dna test on him. Proven he is the father, you can receive payment back on that too - from him of all places!

[~ElectricPink~]

Oh this is all giving me one big headache...I don't wanna cause trouble I just wanna make sure I can support my child :( :(

[Mum2Lucas]

unless you have an extremely valid reason why you can't claim child support then you need to register with them.
When DS was born I did that and he didnt sign the stat dec so we went to legal aide. They did all that was in their power to get a dna test out of him and when we couldnt do any more they just sent centrelink a letter stating we've done all that we could to try and get child support and there's nothing more we can do. So my payments never got cut at all I get the maximum rate for allowances.

[~ElectricPink~]

Okay that's great...thanks. So I won't get in trouble for not putting his name on the certificate but still claiming child support??? Because I really don't think he deserves to have his name on the birth certificate - but I don't want him to be able to back out of what he is legally supposed to do!