Hello everyone. I would like to start by saying thank you for reading this petition. I would like to say this isn’t for parents who do not pay for their children but for the parents that do and always have. This isn’t a petition to end payments for your children but it petition to make what you pay fair so you can still look after your other children and survive. Parents who are frustrated at the system and are never heard. 
I have decided to do this for reasons I know many of you will have also. One is for the millions of paying parents. The paying parents who are never heard and being taken for a ride by a system that isn't working. By a system that was designed to make non paying parents pay, not the parents that do and always have.

And also for myself and what I am still currently going through with the child maintenance services. 
so with that being said I would like to tell you what I have been through and am still going through and fighting today. 
me and my ex wife parted ways four years ago. Things were messy like most divorces. CMS were not involved at the beginning. Despite what was going on, me and my ex wife discussed what was an acceptable amount of money per month. Taking into account my new outgoings. Part of this agreement was that if my son needed anything through the month, I.e clothes, trainers, school uniform, after school clubs, trips, etc. I would pay for that also. Basically anything so she didn’t need to fork out. It worked for both of us. She had money to fed him, keep a roof over his head, everything beyond that I would pay for. I would like to say I have never missed a payment for my son before or after my ex wife went to CMS. This system was never designed for parents that pay. My ex decided she would go to child maintenance services behind my back regardless, purely to gain as much as she could. A simple phone call could have been made to me if she needed more money but the fact that she had enough money to feed my son keep a roof over there heads and pay her bills which I said I would help her with and I would buy anything my son needed, there was no need. When I say they wanted for nothing I mean it. She decided to go that route to get what she could out of me. 
I have a daughter from a past relationship who lives with me and my now wife and my two step children who I support and provide for. The CMS say they take this into account but it makes near on zero difference to payments. 
For anyone who doesn’t know how child maintenance service work here it is. They calculate what you should pay on your GROSS Annual income, NOT your net. So they calculate on an amount of money before you’ve paid taxes. They do not take into account any of your outgoings. Mortgage, bills, cars, food shops per month, clothes, literally nothing. They come up with a number and that’s what you pay. If you don’t you will be summoned to court and even be put into prison. I am still paying what I’m told. 
There are paying parents out there who can’t afford to pay what CMS are calculating on this ridiculous system and the way they calculate payments. It’s not realistic or right they do not take into account any of your outgoings and make sure you have money to live, pay your own bills, look after your other children, keep food on the table and a roof over your heads. The amount of suicides this system has caused is unbearable to even think of someone I know is one of them. They need to be held accountable for these poor parents and their families. The system they are using is broken and the time to change it is now. This whole experience with them has left me broken. im on medication for depression and anxiety and working all the hours I can to be able to survive. The crazy thing is when your annual review comes up and your yearly annual gross goes up, you a calculated on your new gross, so next year I will have to start working 7 days a week to be able to live. Beyond that there will be no more days or hours I can do to keep up. So who knows where I will be. This is the same for many families all over the uk. So please all help me get this to the Houses of Parliament and give all the paying parents a voice.

thank you all for reading I hope together we can help create a fair system for both sides.