Claiming Child Support, from a non resident parent, is a simple process that requires a relatively small amount of a parent with care’s time. This periodic payment will help towards the costs of a child’s day-to-day living expenses, and can be used to pay for school fees, clothing, shelter, food and extracurricular activities.

What Do To

The Department for Work and Pensions provides an easy-to-use website, where parents can download claim forms and access additional resources. Child Support claim forms are available in pdf format and can be printed off, signed and posted to the relevant address.

In some cases, the option to fill in details and submit forms online is also available. Before submitting information online however, parents must be registered with the centralised registration service, the Government Gateway. This service allows users to access other government services on the Internet. Once registration is complete individuals can use a single user ID to send and receive application forms.

Parents can also directly contact the Child Support Agency (CSA), and provide the required information to staff on the telephone, by using a call back facility.

How Long Does It Take?

From the minute an application form is submitted to the CSA’s formal acknowledgement takes around 12 weeks. The initial four weeks is taken up by gathering and checking information provided by the non resident parent. If a trace needs to be put on the parent the whole process will take considerably longer. Ensuring relevant details and up-to-date information is provided at the start of the application process will enable CSA staff to complete the necessary administrative tasks more quickly.

The Child Support Agency aims to give parents with care an accurate decision as soon as possible, but sometimes this could take in the region of 26 weeks.

How Soon Is Payment Arranged?

Once initial payment arrangements have been made, the CSA aims to collect and distribute the first child maintenance payment, to the parent with care, within 6 weeks. Once the CSA receives maintenance payment from the non resident parent it takes a week to process and to distribute the amount.

If a Child Support payment has to be deducted from a non resident parent’s wages, via their employer, due to the parent’s failure to comply with obligations, the payment may take around 4 months to set up and distribute.

What To Do If A Parent Lives Abroad

If a parent no longer lives in the UK the Child Support Agency is only able to help collect payments if a claim for maintenance meets with the exceptions the CSA cover. If a non resident parent is working abroad in the service of the Crown, is a member of the Armed Forces, works abroad for a UK based company or is working abroad on secondment, to a recognised body like the NHS, the CSA will be able to assist parents with care with their maintenance claims.

If the non-resident parent lives abroad, but does not meet the above requirements, parents with care can apply for child maintenance through the UK courts.