What is child maintenance?
Money paid towards a child's everyday living costs by the parent the child does not mainly live with. Parents can agree it between themselves, or use the Child Maintenance Service, which works out an amount from the paying parent's income and the number of nights the child stays with them each week.
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How is child maintenance worked out?
The Child Maintenance Service looks at the paying parent's gross income, how many children they pay for, any other children living with them, and how many nights a week the children stay with them. More nights of shared care lowers the amount. GOV.UK has a calculator that gives an estimate before you apply.
Does the Child Maintenance Service charge fees?
Not if you use Direct Pay, where the service works out the amount and the parents pay each other. With Collect and Pay, the paying parent is charged 20% on top of each payment and the receiving parent has 4% taken off. An arrangement you agree between yourselves costs nothing.
Is child maintenance part of a divorce settlement?
It is dealt with separately. Child maintenance covers children's day-to-day costs, while the financial settlement divides assets and may include spousal maintenance. An agreed amount can be recorded in a consent order, but after a year either parent can usually apply to the Child Maintenance Service instead.
| Direct Pay | No collection fees |
|---|---|
| Collect and Pay: paying parent | 20% added to each payment |
| Collect and Pay: receiving parent | 4% taken off each payment |
Still not sure what this means for you?
Ask Helena, our AI assistant. She gives general information, not financial advice.