If you are the parent of a child, or children, and are raising them on your own you are entitled to claim child support payments from the non resident parent. This periodic maintenance payment may be agreed by private arrangement between both parents, but it may also be collected and handled by the Child Maintenance Service, in cases where there is a breakdown of communication between the adults.
Absent parents, who refuse to pay maintenance, can also be traced by the CMS and have an enforcement issued.
Are You Entitled To Claim?
Child maintenance is a regular payment that is paid to parents who live with their children, by the parent who does not live in the same home. This periodic payment is made to assist the parent with care with the rising costs of raising a child. This payment can also be made to another family member or legal guardian if the child lives with them.
Child support is paid to a resident-parent when a couple separate or divorce, or they have children but are not living together. The payment is made to provide financial support and to confirm responsibility for the welfare of the child. These payments also help to minimise the need for other forms of benefit.
How Is Maintenance Calculated?
The CMS work out the payable rate of maintenance by applying one of a number of rates to the absent parent’s income. Income means money earned from employment, tax credits or personal pension. The gross income is then evaluated and a basic, reduced, flat or nil rate is applied. The amount is adjusted according to how many children are involved in the maintenance application.
Answer a few questions about your situation and get a clear summary of your child maintenance rights and options.
Try our Child Support Rights Checker free, here on this site →How Much Are You Entitled To?
Child support maintenance payments are calculated by the CMS, after assessing the income and living circumstances of the non resident parent. The amount of maintenance a parent with care will receive is calculated as being 12% of the non-resident parent’s gross income – for the first, or only child. The payable amount of maintenance increases to 16% of net income for two children, and to 19% for three. Children from subsequent families are treated in the same way.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Shared Parenting
If the child stays with the non resident parent for at least one night a week the amount of payable maintenance, given to the parent with care, is reduced accordingly. This situation is called Shared Care, and the amount of maintenance is reduced by one-seventh, for each night of the week that the child stays at the non resident parent’s home.
If care is divided equally between the parents the weekly amount of payable maintenance is halved in two, and reduced again by the required 1/7th.
Flat or Base Rate
If maintenance payments are set at a nil rate, due to the non-resident parent earning less than £7 per week, shared care will mean that the maintenance payable to the parent with care is nothing. If the non-resident parent earns between £7 and £100 or if the non-resident parent is in receipt of benefits, the payments will be £7 per week.
My daughter is now 16, on the autistic spectrum and will be going into college this year. Her biological father has been absent for 15 years he has never ever seen my daughter since as he abandoned her. He has never paid a penny towards her either. I just want to find out what mine and her rights are with maintenance owed to her. I’ve single handedly raised her, struggled and he has never once attempted to make contact.
He had our son for 6mths 3yrs ago, and had the cheek to claim me for csa.
Can I get backdated 16yrs worth?
Do we have to keep paying her?
I am a single parent of three kids age 15, 10 and 11. My ex and I arranged payments without any authorities getting involved. He has been paying maintenance for 6 years. I have children full time where he has them one night over the weekend.
I have recently started a part time job and during a heated conversation he mentioned that he will now claim for maintenance through CSA.
Can he do that ? I earn 1100 after taxes. I am not sure how it works?
tha ks
He did not declare this to the CMS, so I did, as I feel strongly that it is just as much his responsibility to financial support our son throughout.
I received a recalculation for my son's case this morning and it is still nil rating as my ex has supplied evidence. How can this be??? He will do all he can not to pay! Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.
But now he’s on universal credit ! Can I clam something for our son from him!!’ If I did, would it effect my child benefit?
I work part time and I am a home owner
I am divorcing my husband and currently forced to co-habit in our home. He refuses to sell or buy me out. Its 10 months since we separated and he hasn't contributed to any child related costs since then (food, clothes, medication etc). We share mortgage and most of the bills however he is slowly paying less and less towards these. I am in financial problems now and its effecting the children ability to socialize and attend events and even normal dietary requirements. He earns about 57K a year and earnt over 20K worth of bonus' this year already. We have done mediation and are currently going through a financial disclosure process but 2nd hearing is 4 month away. I have contacted CMS and as there has been domestic abuse since the split they said I probably would have fees waivered but my problem is Can I make an application whilst we still cohabit. We live seperate lives and dont even speak unless we have to. He doesnt do any house work,maintenance or shopping. He takes care of kids 2 days(1night) and one day on the weekends but constantly asks me to cover so he can be away.
Can I make an application?? 2 children (5 and 1yrs old)
My partner pays voluntary child maintenance through a private agreement. He is self employed and because his business is in its infancy, he earns very little. I, on the other hand am a homeowner and earn a reasonable wage. His ex is now claiming that because he is living with me that he should pay more child maintenance because my earnings should be taken into account. I'm almost 100% certain that this is not correct but could you please clarify?
My son and I moved out of our family home and have lived together for a number of months, after we gave him the choice of who he wanted to be with. He resides with me, but sees his mother every other weekend and a night during the week. I don't ask her for anything, but Is she entitled to any maintainance? He lives with me, but I wanted to check.
Am i wrong? and if i am right please can you direct me to the information to send to him to resume his payments for the next 5 weeks.
I am so frustrated as he didn't have the decency to tell me he just stopped and my son has secured himself a job and i have had to pay for a full business dress wardrobe and it is not cheap and his father wouldn't contribute.
Thank you all for your help
Louise
We agreed the maintenance payment amount between ourselves but based on the csa calculator. When I said that this deduction cannot be correct, he said this deduction is correct based on what the csa/cms website says.
Please advise
An assesment was made and first 2 months salary completed wiped out, so began a process of proving my child stayed 125 nights a year, she had been receiving money (I mistakenly gave her cash first 3 months).
Once evidence was provided, payments reduced, nothing happened to my ex wife for all of her fraudulent claims.
Well it began again 3 years later, just after receiving a car with her thanks and assurance no maintenance was needed.
I am regularly told to STOP buying my daughter things.
Well yet again the new claim as the agency call it requires proof I see the child, they have been told I don’t!
Even though they have the child court order on their records.
I am now being told I will need a solicitor letter stating I am seeing my daughter, I have been off work for 3 years after a bad accident at work.
Receiving invalid payments. This all ignored by the agency instead stating that my last income 2015/2016 is the basis for the assesment when I was earning good money.
They have now ignored everything said, frozen a savings account, causing normal account to go overdrawn incurring fees.
I wish to take formal action against my ex for the second chain of lies/perjury to these, with the sole intention of causing me as much trouble as possible.
This after sending messages saying she wants peace and harmony for our child.
Whilst i am in the courts accused of abusing our daughter.
Domestic violence
Absolutely everything she says, it’s treated as fact.
The stress is overpowering and effecting all aspects of my life.
What can I do
Does anyone have any advice, and not bitter exes saying get your own back etc.
I mean a legal action both with Child maintenance
And the perjury committed in courts
I have all the proof showing this.
I don’t have funds for legal advice I am self representing at the final hearing in June.
The agency have clearly informed me that they have been told by my ex that I am not seeing the child.
Can I request they provide that in writing then contact the police.
Non of this is ideal but the only
Measure I believe will
Make it clear is if she is held accountable for her actions.
Like anyone should be
Now having a property of that value must make his payments change I assume because his wealth has gone up considerably!!!
Thanks
I receive child and working tax credits for the government and work 5 days a week for just above min. national wage.
My ex partner pays, at the most, half of after school care because he prefers to do that than pay me anything.
I just want to know if I am entitled to any back pay from him for the last 5 years? i don't want the hassle to be honest, he can be very manipulative but i just want to know where i stand as he has threatened me with going for full custody if i apply for back pay. He tells the tax people he is self employed so he will pay the minimum amount of tax and makes cash money on the side that he doesn't declare.
please advise.
i have been separated from my wife, but still married, for 15 years. we have a 15 year old son.
he spends 50% of the time with me and 50% with her. she claims his child allowance from the gov.
she earns considerably more money than i do (double, is on over 60k a year).
i pay her £ 300 per month child care. is this correct? should it be less or should she be paying me child care?
many Thanks
Yan
Thank you.
My ex has a business and it isn’t registered. He brings jobs in all the time so has quiet a bit of money. I can prove that he works, but I don’t know where he is to be contacted apart from a mobile number. Can he be found and made to pay child maintenance?
Her mother and her dont have a good relationship and she left as her mother got physically abusive .
I jave asked her mother for contribution whilst she here and ahe refuses.
I have now filled a form and awaiting child benefit . I was wondering if i am entitled to claim cms from her mother (who is still recieving the child benefit and child tax credits ) 16yr old is in full time education and her father and rest of the family are not in her life .
My baby’s dad is at uni but he also works in between, he has baby every other weekend through force because he threatened me with court. He doesn’t pay he never does to be honest he couldn’t care less it’s more his mum that’s wants to see our baby. But surely if he can afford to get drunk & buy new things with his student finance he should be able to pay for his child because after all it takes two to tango!
I'm thinking of gaining equal shared custardy of my 4 yr old daughter (agreed already by mother). I currently work full time (40 hrs) I am looking to have her 3 nights per week (3.5 days) I am thinking if I go part time in order to do this, can I claim any benefits that could make up the shortfall? I.e child/working tax credits.
My question is when working out maintenance in the section on the Government website (on average how many nights a year do the Children stay over with you?) My ex is basing it on 2-3 nights.
My question is should it be 1-2 nights as he is only having one our children?
May be a silly question but we are near the end of our divorce & I require clarification.
Thanking you in advance
His father is on his birth certificate but pays nothing for him, he's visited my home 2/3 times since he's been born to see him. But doesn't take him from my home and doesn't have him over night. He's 18 and working full time. His family are all convinced he doesn't have to pay child maintenance?
Should I be able to claim child maintenance if I ring csa and once I've rang them could he still refuse to pay?
I have paid maintenance for my three kids for some 15 years. In April this year the service changed to the CMS. Given my daughter was 18 in May and there was only four months left before Sept; coupled with the fact that my daughter stayed with me more often than not than her mother, her mother filled in a new application to the CMS.
After months of providing evidence, I have been told there is no dispute over 50/50 shared care. But they will not change things that I have shared day to day care. They say only one parent can have this; and I didn't apply to change child benefit (although have subsequently applied). As there was no Court Order relating to the case defining child care (we have an informal agreement 15 years ago that worked well), the CMS has told me that there IS NO EVIDENCE THAT I CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE to prove my daughter has been living with me. I provided a diary, receipts , mobile phone bills, healthcare bills, horse maintenance bills; but still they will not concede that a have equal day to day parental care. Is this right? I have asked for all transcripts as they have lied to me frequently about the process and facts. I have also got my local MP involved as it simply is not right. The process has gone through two mandatory reconsiderations (as the first one they admitted errors and evidence not looked at). Now I am told that a Tribunal is my only route forward.
Questions:
1) Is this right? I've been told there was nothing I can provide to demonstrate that my daughter lived with me more than her mother since April. Her mother has since moved away with a new family and I maintained her only bedroom. She lives with me full time now along with my other two older kids.
2) How do I start the Tribunal Appeal. The CMS decision letter talks about a 'Pack' but I can't find anywhere what the first stage is.
Thanks for your help.
Mike
I have three children. Twins 17 and both in full time education and a 14 year old. They stay with me 1 to twice a week. I'm currently paying £230 a week in child maintenance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
As we have split and I do not trust him I have decided to go down the csa route to ensure our daughter gets the support she needs but he keeps warning me not to and I’m wondering whether this is because he pays Peanuts for his other two and wants to do the same for our daughter
Because he's moved in I've lost working tax credits.barr £2 a week.. still get child tax credits but that's to help pay nursery whilst I work.
We don't have issues about paying but think the figure should reflect he was unemployed ... living rent free with his mum. He wasn't even getting income support whilst looking for work.
What can we do?
I already struggle to pay all bills and have enough to feed my babies ... so even though this isn't my issue it technically is because he lives with me now.
And from what I've read they don't take into consideration he has two kids at home to support as well.
Our agreement for CM was mutually arranged, end of every month she gets her money. The issue is that she is now putting stress in my current relationship because there's not a weekend go by now (wether I have the kids or not) where she is not wanting money off me!!
I need help and advise, how do I stop her constantly wanting money before it's due!
Thanks in advance
We are going to be living together and so my child tax credits as a single mum will decrease because they will take into account his wage. We want to keep everything desperate I.e I keep everything as is and he will pay me monthly towards house bills and food shopping. Problem is, he pays 410 per month which is a huge chunk from his wages and on tax credit calculator it asks for incoming not out going so looks like he brings more than he does if that makes sense. Is there a way round this?
Recently my son moved out to live with g/parents. I Contacted Child Benefit to tell them of change and that I am contributing. They happy with that unless someone else makes claim and then they would inform me. G/parents household income over £60k so knew they couldn’t. His Dad might but probably wouldn’t contribute. He lives with partner and her child. I contacted child maintenance to set up payments- used to have family arrangement but missed payments and paid differing amounts. He has told CM he lives at his parents with his Son. He also tells them he has shared care of our other child as she stops there 1 night a week. This is all lies as he does not live there and never has. However on the form it now says he has no shared care and that he is in receipt of child benefit. I do not understand. Does claiming child benefit for our 1 child reduce his maitenance payments for his other child.
Also how accurate are the records for his income. Child maintenance say they received info via Hmrc that was given by company or accountant. He is the Director of company with his father and they have a very good but dodgy accountant as money is poured into one (sons dads)business from a sucessful one (sons grandfather) to avoid massive tax bills.
My ex is receiving compensation payments on top of his benefits, will he pay child maintenance on the compensation income?
Thanks.
I have seperated from my ex partner. I have a daughter who i have during the week then the weekend all over night stays and the following week i have her twice a week i also take my ex partners other daughter these days who is not my flesh and blood but i have been part of her life since she was a toddler. My ex wants me to pay maintance for my own daughter but forgets i pay for both girls when they are here. So do i need to pay maintance still or continue paying for both girls when i have them. Im unsure of what to do help would be greatful
I'm wondering where I stand with child support, can I get help from him if he is on benefits himself? He hasn't helped at all so far, and I think he has washed his hands of my baby which is his choice but money wise I want to know what I'm entitled to from him if anything. Also will his name need to be on the birth certificate for me to go to CSA? Thanks
I have 2 children with my ex
We are still living in the same house and it is hell as he won't agree to spits in house
So can I claim child maintenance from him as he is basically refusing to support the kids other than half the mortgage because I get £132 child benifits each month
Help please!!!
He has never made any effort to find supervision.
I stopped supervising when he took me to mediation as I felt it was no longer appropriate for me to be subject to mind games. Mediator said case was not suitable for mediation.
Now he is taking me to court as he wants regular unsupervised contact which I cannot agree to. I am not denying him access, just that I am no longer able to supervise and have been unable to find contact centres, appropriate adult services etc. to take him on.
If he moves so far away and the court gives him unsupervised contact rights, who has to meet the cost of transportation etc.? I have been responsible for funding the past 6 years so he could have contact.
I am a disabled parent who has just been able to return to work part time and I am currently operating at my physical limit with being a parent and readjusting to working life, I do not currently have the physical strength to add this to my week, especially when it is his choice to move away.
I'm unsure whether his father should still be paying child maintenance for him ..he says no and stopped payments in June because my son turned 18.
I just need some advice if this is the case or not ..
Any feedback would be greatly recieved
Thankyou
My girlfriend receives support from her husband albeit he is sporadic. I live with my parents at the moment as my ex wife and I are separated. I am registered at my parents address and pay bills etc. I also pay benefits to her for my 3 children.
How many nights a week can I stay at my girlfriends without anything affecting her ?
Thanks
Your advice will be welcome.
Thank you
A Very Anxious
Grandad
I moved into his house before our son was born and the arrangement was that he continued to pay his mortgage and bills and I cover the food shopping, once our son was born and my stattutory maternity pay kicked in (£500 a mont) I could no longer afford to cover the food shopping (£120 per week) as well as pay my bills and pay for all the baby stuff. Things got bad due to his OCD and I left the home, we were in the middle of buying a new house but he didn't want to include me on the mortgage as I have no money to contribute. We are now trying to work things out but I feel frustrated as he still hasn't contributed financially towards our son, be brought the pram and I've covered everything else, he is a very high earner so money is not an issue but when I mention money and how much I'm struggling he just goes on about how he's having to burden the cost of moving house. Where do I stand? Should I expect him to support us financially? This is my first child and I never thought I'd find myself in this position :(
I currently see my daughter 3 nights a week and have agreed a sum that I pay each month.
My question, is if when my daughter reaches an older age (she is 8 now) say 10-11 and wanted to stay with me full time (or more than the 3 nights), how would this work and would I have to apply to the court for sole residency? Would the court take into consideration my child's request that she wanted to stay with me full time/more than the 3 nights?
A few years ago my ex partner decided that I was not paying enough so I suggested that she go through the CSA which she did. The answer she got was not to her liking as I was in receipt of this pension and I could of paid her a substantial amount less than I was. I kept the payments the same as I had done arranged through the court order.
Over the last few days I have received a letter from the CMS and they have said that I will have to pay more money.
Can anyone advise me if payments have changed now the CMS is in place as I have been on the website and it transfers you to the government website and I have used the calculator to work out my payments and it comes out the same as when the CSA were involved.
If I am working and in receipt of a war disablement pension I am eligible to pay full maintenance???. Please helppp. Thanx
During the school holidays, if he has the children for a few days/weeks - would this make a difference to the payments he makes?
Has paid nothing for over 8 months for our children yet has substantial savings and enjoys a very good standard of living.
I work part time and am struggling
Would the CSM be able to insist on disclosure of her savings and payment for our children that way?
Or is it just the JSA that is considered so making it possible for her to hide her wealth til 12 mths expires and she is reassessed and gives the money to her new partner
Also gaining a place in collage depends on her exam results. What happens to maintenance payments between her leaving school and taking up her collage course?
And what happens if she fails to secure a place in college, then needs to find full-time permanent work instead?
My ex wife is adamant about this being the agreement. We've already agreed a financial settle and I have made the first payment towards that. She has now decided that she wants to change things. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
I have spoken every week for the last two months but never seem to get an answer!
myself see this as stealing money off me every week and therefore a criminal offence !
The ex wife has shown me how much she is getting from them so are the csa stealing from me because she is getting half of what I'm paying.
Thank you
I'm a single father with a 12yr old son who lives with me. I had to give up a career in management so that I could take care of my son as he rarely sees his mother who has 2 children with another partner. She does not provide any child support at all. She does not need to work as her partner earns enough to support her very comfortably. She doesn't claim any benefits because of the household income. She owns her own home, and flies to Dubai every 2nd month for holidays. Is it possible to claim support from her or has she found the perfect loophole?
How can I find out how much he earns? As he had agreed he is paying me less than he should do?
I've asked him outright what he earns and he says he has no legal right to offer that info to me.
I've spoken to the CMS and they have said unless I want to go down the official route I have no way of ever knowing what he earns.
How can this be possible that he never has to disclose his income? I know he gets regular increments to his pay and has recently had a promotion which would be financially rewarded too.
Surely our 2 children should have a legal right to an increase in their CM which is reflected by my ex husbands salary increases?
Everything is increasing by inflation. How is it right the CM payments don't?
Surely there should be some sort of law that enables the receiving paying parents to find out what level of income the paying parent has so they know that their children are being cared for at the correct rate.
We did the family based agreement to keep things amicable but how can things be amicable if he's earning more and able to pay bills that are all subject to inflation yet keep the CM at the level it what was agreed almost 7 years ago with no inflation added to it.
I want to know what to do , my husband stays in the Uk and I'm staying abroad with the 2 kids , both are his own but the mine is a little one, she is 5 years old.The other one is my step son.Now he refuse to pay for maintenance.He doesn't allow me to get a job bcos of his insecurities now I can pay for a flat we staying in and I can't pay for my child education and welfare, please help.
My ex husband and I have been separated for almost 3 years. To date he has never paid any cms as he insists the benefits which I receive for our 2 children (DLA for 1 child, child tax credits and child benefit) is sufficient to provide for their needs. I have the children 4 nights per week and he has 3 nights per week, roughly 60/40 care.
Last year I was aware he was struggling financially, so I agreed to sign over the child benefit (for one child), to help towards feeding our children when in his care.
Am I being greedy by claiming any cms from him, barring in mind I provide everything, clothes, shoes, coats, mobile phones etc. In the past he's always insisted that I receive the 'lions share' of the money, therefore I'd be unreasonable to further claim cms?
TIA
I claim child benefit, child tax credits and dla for him.
My ex has agreed to me keeping these benefits and he won't pay me any maintenance.
I fought very hard for his DLA and don't want his dad to have it as he will squander it, he's terrible with money. I intend to keep it and pay for things for my son as well as pay for everything else for him, clothes, shoes, dinner money, mobile phone, pocket money, leisure centre membership, xbox points etc.
He will be staying with me 3 nights out of 7 every week, will I get into trouble?
The will only states my name.would she be entitled to claim form it as it please
My ex husband is claiming benefits but has recently been left some money after his parents died and the house was sold. He has never paid a penny towards his children can I claim anything from him for the boys not me now he has this windfall.
My Partners ex girlfriend is taking us to tribunal with accusations of deliberately trying to avoid paying child maintenance, due to his company being set up as a Limited company, which is simply not the case. Is there anywhere I can see previous tribunal hearings and outcomes to help us defend ourselves?
Also from reading the above posts, my partner has shared parental responsibility for his child, the child spends almost half the year with us and we collect her form school on a alternate Tuesday/Thursday, take her home, complete homework, feed her etc. Would my partner be able to claim/receive half the child support/child tax credits she receives?
I have 2 daughters with my ex and have paid maintanence (not through csa) since we split.
I now have another child with my new partner and we are just in the process of applying for tax credits.
My new partner is not earning any income so the tax credits we will receive will be based on my wage.
Will any tax credits we receive need to be taken into account to work out maintanence for my 2 daughters from my previous relationship.
Very confused as the benefits my ex receives (or any resident parent) doesn't take into account the amount of maintanence recieved.
Ive been told I can claim DLA for my son's illness. My partner pays maintenece through a CSA schedule, he pays the full amount as he does not have shared contact.
My question is should he receive part of the DLA or can he ask for a reduction in the maintenence payments? He was already unhappy at the amount he was told to pay and know he has been asking friends if I have applied for it so I expect it to become something I have to answer soon.
Many thanks for you help
Can anyone help.
My other sons father gets him to sleep over sat night pick up is 11am sat then brings him home Sunday 5pm and I get £38 a week off him and the tax credits are in my name not his. So really my question is I've no idea how much I could be getting I don't know what the boys dads incomes are they both work full time have pretty good jobs I've tried guess work on the calculator on this link but it's hard to work out with guess figures. I've never gone legal it scares me but then I do think things are getting really expensive and I could do with some help. Thanks
Should I still be paying full maintenance for that fortnight if I'm having them for more then half of it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I've being paying child maintenance for 2 years, my Ex has recently moved back in to her Mothers houses, our son spends three nights a week at my house, am I still required to pay maintenance?
Thanks for your advice
Am I?
to travel around 700 miles round trip to visit his girls. He paid maintenance all this time, plus the cost of travel and hotels and caravans when he stayed up for weekends or a week at a time to have them for a holiday, as it simply wasn't financially viable to go to Scotland to fetch them back down south to live with him.
He then moved on, from east to west down south. The ex has now come down to the south east and England and wants him to have the girls half of them school holidays and once a months for a weekend.
The issue isn't having the girls! He wants to as much as he can! Especially as the ex has used the children as leverage to get her way in everything over the years. But he feels he is paying twice. It costs £100 in fuel every time he goes to fetch them (£50 round trip to collect them and same to bring them back), plus £70 per week maintenance plus around £50 -£100 for extra food etc to feed them when he has them. In addition, he has them on hols when they are away from their home and friends and so there is more onus on him to bring them out for trips and treats. This year he has been out of work for 6 months and still paid maintenance till he used up the last of his savings and has gone substantially into debt, but he is still berated. This year he will have the children for 8 of the 13 weeks of school hols, plus one weekend a month. That is 80 nights this year. Does that qualify him for any maintenance discount? It is the equivalent of 2 nights a week across the year, and I've read that if the children stay with him once a week the maintenance would be reduced by 1/7th, but it is simply impossible for him to have them one night every week as the ex lives a 5 hour drive away there and back. Thanks.
my ex partner has agreed, 2 years ago, to pay £200 monthly towards our son but he has only paid for 2 months. I had to pay for everything even working part time and receiving benefit towards my rent. I've already contacted FM but I'd like to know if I can get all the money he owes me for the last 2 years. He works full time.
Thank you
Cheers
My ex stopped paying maintenance as my son has now finished sitting his exams. However I am still receiving child benefit for my son through to the 31st Aug so shouldn't I be receiving child maintenance until this date too.
We had an agreement through a court order which my ex never stuck too and has paid the same maintenance payment amount since my son was 2 years old!!!
Who is right him or me?
I have researched this and have conflicting answers. Some say no we shouldn't have to pay, others just we have to pay. Morally we are happy to pay some money but the csa wants us to pay £90 week which we don't have.
Getting very worried now please can anyone help.
I have rung child maintenance options and service about this and they don't really seem to know.
Thanks in advance
CMS are insisting that I provide personal contact details for the co-operative mother or they will insist I pay the whole calculated amount to the un-co-operative mother
Historically, each contact with CMS / CSA has involved mistakes and caused friction between parents which in turn causes detriment to the children.
CMS are bullying me into sharing personal data and acting as a vehicle of the uncooperative mother to disrupt the agreement I already have in place with the co-operative mum.
If they accept I have a second son and that mother has NOT contacted them , why do they need to cause distress and disruption by involving the co-operative mum in the uncooperative mother's case ?
I receive a war disablement pension , so once I put this into the csa calculated it comes back as 0 to pay for one child , however I sent a copy to the csa they replied I should pay £225 a month because I have a full time job , I honed child options agency and they told me that I should not pay anything ,
The child is my son so I exspect to pay something but surely with a disability pension it seems very high
Any advise would be most welcome
Kind regards
Paul Browne
I know I can't do anything to recover the money owed but can my daughter take him to court ? Also would she receive legal aid ?
On chasing up the claim, the money already owing (albeit £57) is now floating around in Limboland, as my daughters father has now suddenly decided to claim benefits!?!
Is there anything else I can do, other than informing the relevant authorities (HRMC and the benefit fraud line) as he has played the system for many years and is continuing to do so!
Thank you in advance for any advice/help.
His mum owns two houses and earns at least double what I earn, whilst I rent, so it seems completely unfair and stupid to me as she contributes nothing to his keep whilst he is here.
Thanks
I asked a question but got no reply please can you help
My partner split up with his partner 7yrs ago now he has 2 children with her ... we have been on job seekers so paid child maintenance through them ... I have just recently started work so he is not working, will I have to pay child maintenance for him if he is not working.
They don't see their mom.
He has never paid maintenance, he point blankly refuses, but pays £15pm for activites. I am currently at University and he says that was my choice to put the children in that situation. I'm struggling daily to even feed them with all the other bills I have to worry about.
He sees them every other week Saturday 12pm- sunday 4pm.
a) can he refuse to pay more? he doesn't think we need it.
also I was invited to go away for a weekend with a friend. Its his weekend with the kids and so my parents would be the ones he dropped them back to on the Sunday. Because he doesn't get on with them, he says he wont return the children and that they will remain in his care permanently.
Can he do this? Can he withhold our children when I arrive back?
Obviously I wont go if that's the case. I just feel he is doing it to control what I do, and limit me in any way possible.
Any advice welcome, I'm so confused of my rights, and he seems to tell me all of his.
His mother until now has paid me £100 per month, today I received an email saying she had left her job, other than paying £50 of the £100 for this month, going forward until she finds a job she can't pay me any money at all.
As she lives 25 miles away from her work I would imagine she left the job through the travel being too far, which I understand but surely her commitment to paying towards maintenance should be foremost in her thoughts rather than saving on petrol?
That is by the by and not my question. I would like to ask if his mother is not paying any money at all am I entitled to any money through the CSA or anywhere else?
Shaun
I have my daughter 5 days a week and she stays with her dad at the weekend. He does pay me the required amount set out by the CSA but nothing over and above that which is fine. However he is planning on taking shared paternity leave for his new child and says that he will be reducing my payments for the months that he is off work. Is he allowed to do this?
Thank you
Thanks
My ex lives in his own 1.5 million pound house
Earns 5-7thousand a month self employed
We have one child
I live with my mother
Our baby
I have a small income of £1250. A month.
We weren't married
Would I be entitled to anything
Can I claim child maintenance for my step daughter even though I am not her biological parent, and do not have any legal parental responsibility for her?
To complicate matters, her mother re-entered the UK from Malawi with a new name so technically her mother is not in the UK and is not the woman I married.
Alternatively is it possible to claim child maintenance from someone who has been given guardianship of a child? Her maternal aunt became her guardian in Malawi (though she also lives in the UK) but it is me who looks after the child my step daughter.
So any advice on the process to get child maintenance, and how it would work in this situation would be much appreciated.
His mother is insisting that she is due maintenance even though he is not living there, that cannot be right surely?
i just want to no how i can go about finding this mystery account and whether he did pay or not and if its sitting in an account waiting for me.
can anyone help?
He has now decided he wants to go to court for joint custody of our 10 yr old.
Initially he was paying money into my account, but this stopped. Then CSA found him and the money 'officially' resumed. About 4-5 months ago, the child support money stopped again, due to him losing his job, so I've been trying to manage on my own, despite only working 2 days a week.
Do you think I'd be legible for Legal Aid? Do you think he has a leg to stand on? This will be a huge upheavel for our youngest daughter, and undeniably it will cause distress. I'm extremely concerned about the whole situation and how this will affect our daughter.
If she doesnt let me see my daughter do I still have to pay child maintenance, can I apply for a reduced rate ?
Why would it be that she can make it so I cannot see her, but still be made to pay these rates ?
I have a letter from social services detailing my contact with them wanting to see my daughter and that there is no reason for me not to see my daughter other than her not wanting me to see her!
In the last 7 years there had been a strong of events taking place that reflect the mother's incompetence as a parent. I would add selfishness to that. I am the prime caretaker of the child and we still all live together (legally married) however she is seeing someone else. Being an interfaith marriage, we had agreed prior to marriage that the children would be raised as Muslims. I am a totally tolerant person and respect religious diversity. His mother however keeps telling him you can't tell your Austrian friends you're Muslim because they don't like Muslims over here. Note that she barely agreed to him taking up Islamic religions classes at School (in Austria). A few months ago the boy came up to me with his mother's mobile phone and told me blaaaaaa look at these disgusting photos. Basically these were a few photos of his naked mother masturbating and some random guy in a similar position. A couple of weeks ago my son told me that his mother took him on her lap and let him drive for a couple of minutes. I confronted her about both incidents and her response is that: what's wrong with that?!
I currently don't have a stable job in Austria and thus if I'm lucky with an unbiased judge, it would still be difficult for them to grant me custody under the circumstances. I can only guarantee accommodation and private schooling fees in Egypt via my family if I return there with my child. Please also note that I am the one looking after the child: waking up, dressing, breakfasts, lunch boxes, school drop off, hygiene, you name it! His mother works less than 18 hours a week and doesn't pay taxes - so it's not like she's a super busy career person. She skips at least a couple of nights every week and even when she is home she would rather take the kid to have a cookie or doughnut at McDonalds for breakfast so she can have her coffee, rather than making him (or buying him) a normal healthy nutritious meal.
I am so frustrated with this situation and I am not thinking about the well-being of a child still under development. I am also thinking about being in a place where I am more likely to be able to support myself and have family around me to support me with this journey. Lawyers have advised me that leaving the EU with the child would be the only solution to remove my child from this environment without legal intervention, which in the case of Austria tends to favour the citizen's side especially the mother. Any ideas?
I have tried to claim through the CSA, & each time they come back with 'a nil income' therefore I am entitled to nothing from him. ( although he tells me he is working, cash in hand obvs..) :-/
He recently got married, and I was just wondering where I stand on claiming some maintenance from him under the new maintenance guidelines/laws?
I came out. Of a physically/emotionally/sexually abusing reletionship last year. My ex partner is from abroad. The CID took me and my baby out of the house where we were living and supported us in finding a house far away, the police supported in name changing etc. I didn't end up pressing charges because my ex left the country. His name is on the birth certificate. I am wondering, if he ever decided to find us and try get access to our daughter would he be able to? Baring in mind he said his family were looking for us to kill us and he wouldn't care if they did, plus stealing money from me, and being generally abusive. I haven't had any clue whether he would try get access but I'm scared if he did. He used to always threaten to run abroad with my daughter - he lives in a country which is currently experiencing war.
(There are certain higher education courses, such as apprenticeships, that do not count as full-time education, so it is important that you check with the CSA). The absent parent will continue paying child support in these circumstances. However, should the young person change their mind and decide that he/she wants to get a job and not continue in full-time education (which includes studying for 12 hours or more a week) then child support payments would end in the September after his/her final school term. I hope this helps.
Why they get it so easy.
So angry £50 a week for a child how are we suppose to manage on that
At the end of the year he definitely owe's money to CMS, but I'm wondering how much?
Is it ok for him to over-pay some months but not to pay on other months?
Should I take each month that he didn't pay as debt, regardless off any over payments?
Or is it ok for him to pay the annual figure set by CMS whenever he likes?
Thank You very much
What is the 1st process to obtain non custodial access.
Thank you
A year ago i met a girl and started seeing her with a view to starting a relationship. When we met we both made it clear we didn't want a child, to ensure this never happened I brought protection but was told by the girl, she was using protection.
Two months later, after one tantrum too many I decided to end the relationship. Two weeks later the girl phoned me, told me she was pregnant and that she was keeping the child. I told her that I was not financially ready for a child and reminded her that when we met she told me she did not want a child.
After months of arguing I supported the girl while pregnant and she gave birth to my daughter. My birthday has just passed and the girl expected to see me. I told her I was spending the time with my family, cue another tantrum. I reminded the girl that we were not together at which point she warned that she would seek maintenance money from me.
Do I have any rights in this situation?
Thanks
Here is what to do…….or this is what I did!
Every time you speak to the CSA you must write down the date and day, time, an estimate of how long the call took, the phone number you rang and most importantly WHO YOU SPOKE TO! Then write a brief description of what was said. This may seem like a waste of tim but believe me it isn’t!
If you get nowhere with the CSA go to your local MP……..they give the CSA time limits and the CSA MUST abide by these! If you still do not get anywhere or do not feel you have had the right outcome you can speak to the Independant Case Examiner! The CSA and the MP will be able to and must give you this option and their contact details!
The CSA move very very quickly when they are contacted by the Independant Case Examiners as they have the legal rights to look into every detail of your case and the CSA must give any information or details that they want. Sometihing the CSA do not like.
I hope this information helps some of you.
Good luck
I wonder could you clarify a point for me. I am divorced from my husband and we have two children together. I am currently going through the CSA for payment to be collected. He has previously paid maintenance but it has gone from £300 a month to £160 a month, he has made the decision what he will pay each month with no consultation.
We have 50/50 split for the care of the children. I have recently had to go back to work full time. When I was part time, I was able to pick up and take the children to school every day. Since going full time this has been impossible so I have been using a childminder for after school care.
Mu ex husband refuses to pay childcare for the nights he is responsible for the children and I have been paying this for the last 8 months but I cannot sustain this expense any longer.
Is there any guidance you can give me in relation to this as I believe he should be paying for the children's childcare on the nights he is due to collect them from school.
CSA have said that the amount I will eventually get will be around £160 mark.
Any information or guidance you may have in relation to the payment of the afterschool care would be appreciated.
With thanks
While my son lives with her, DWP pay her a carers allowance. They have said that as she is not looking after him more than 35 hours a week, she is no longer entitled to the carers allowance.
My question is, as my son is not living with her currently, and the DWP have reviewed and decided she doesn't look after him enough to get carers allowance, is she still entitled to child maintenance from me. Surely my maintenance should be paid to the home my son has been abandoned in ?
now that he has found suitable accommodation he wants to have the kids for three nights per week, would this affect my working tax credit/child benefit, or for that matter his benefits?
is there a legal amount of time the kids can stay with their father without it affecting credits and benefits?
Need advice.
I'm considering asking my current wife to claim CSA against me so that all my children will receive fair treatment and not only my eldest.
What are my rights?
Thanks
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