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Child maintenance covers how your child鈥檚 living costs will be paid when one of the parents does not live with the child. It鈥檚 made when you鈥檝e separated from the other parent or if you鈥檝e never been in a relationship.

This is a financial arrangement between you and the other parent of your child. Making arrangements to see your child happens separately.

You must have a child maintenance arrangement if your child is under 16 (or under 20 if they are in approved education or training).

Both parents are responsible for the costs of raising their children, even if they do not see them.

Options for arranging child maintenance

Child maintenance can be arranged:

• privately between parents, if both parents agree
• through the Child Maintenance Service

The Child Maintenance Service can:

• work out an amount to pay
• arrange payments and take action if a parent does not pay
• sort out disagreements about parentage
• try to find the other parent if you do not know where they are

If you do not want your child鈥檚 other parent to contact you or your child

You can use the Child Maintenance Service to arrange child maintenance if you do not want your child鈥檚 other parent to know your location or personal information.

How it affects benefits

Child maintenance payments will not affect any benefits that you and your children get, including Universal Credit. You will not have to pay tax on them.

Your child needs to be under 16 - or under 20 if they are in approved education or training.

You need to live in the UK as your main home and have the right to live here.

You can apply if you鈥檙e:

• either parent (you do not need to live with the child)
• a grandparent with main day-to-day care of the child
• the child鈥檚 guardian
• a child over 12 living in Scotland

If you do not have an income and you鈥檙e either a full-time student or in prison, you do not have to pay child maintenance. There鈥檚 no need to apply.

You cannot use the Child Maintenance Service if you have an existing consent order approved by a court that is less than a year old.

If one of the parents lives outside the UK

You cannot apply if the child and the parent with main day-to-day care live outside the UK.

The Child Maintenance Service can only help if the parent without main day-to-day care works outside the UK for a British organisation.

You can either arrange child maintenance:

• privately between parents, if both parents agree
• through the Child Maintenance Service

Get help arranging child maintenance

Use the 鈥楪et help arranging child maintenance鈥� tool to:

• find out about your options for paying or getting support for your child
• find out how to make a private arrangement, if you choose to do this
• apply to the Child Maintenance Service, if you choose to use it

If you cannot use the 鈥楪et help arranging child maintenance鈥� tool, call the Child Maintenance Service.

If you decide to use the Child Maintenance Service

When you contact the Child Maintenance Service, you鈥檒l need:

• the reference number you got from the 鈥楪et help arranging child maintenance鈥� tool
• your bank details
• your National Insurance number

If you do not have day-to-day care of the child, you鈥檒l also be asked about:

• your employment details
• your income and any benefits you get
• private pension contributions

Tell the Child Maintenance Service if it鈥檚 not safe for the other parent to know your name (if you鈥檝e changed it) or your location.

Tell the Child Maintenance Service if the paying parent has other income or expenses that you want them to consider when working out payments. This is called 鈥榓pplying for a variation鈥�. Either parent can apply.

How your information is used

The Child Maintenance Service will use your information to:

• share your name and your child鈥檚 name with the other parent (your address is not shared)
• share your contact details with other government organisations, debt collection agencies or the courts, if needed (details about your case are not shared)
• look for the paying parent if you do not know their address

If the Child Maintenance Service cannot get the information from you or the other parent, they鈥檒l contact:

• the paying parent鈥檚 employer
• government organisations like Jobcentre Plus
• prison services or local councils
• the paying parent鈥檚 bank or building society

Payments can be arranged:

• privately between parents, if both parents agree
• through the Child Maintenance Service

If you use the Child Maintenance Service, they will work out your child maintenance amount based on the paying parent鈥檚 circumstances.

There are 2 ways to manage payments through the Child Maintenance Service:

• the paying parent makes payments directly to the receiving parent (Direct Pay)
• the Child Maintenance Service collects and passes on payments (Collect and Pay) - there are fees for this service

When you apply, both parents can say how they鈥檇 prefer to manage payments.

If the paying parent does not pay in full or on time, the Child Maintenance Service can change the payment method to Collect and Pay.

Your payment plan

After you apply, you鈥檒l get a letter telling you whether your payments will be managed through Direct Pay or Collect and Pay.

The Child Maintenance Service will work out how much should be paid and when. You鈥檒l get another letter with your payment plan telling you:

• how much you need to pay and when, if you鈥檙e the paying parent
• how much you鈥檒l receive and when, if you鈥檙e the receiving parent

You can also view your payment plan .听

The first payment is usually made within 12 weeks of applying.

If you make or receive extra payments, you must tell the Child Maintenance Service.

If you think your child maintenance amount is wrong

Contact the Child Maintenance Service if:

• you want them to look at the decision again - this is called a 鈥榤andatory reconsideration鈥� and you must ask for it within one month of the decision
• the paying parent has other income or expenses that you want them to take into account - this is called asking for a variation

You can also ask for a variation through .

If a parent does not pay in full or on time

Find out what to do if:

• you鈥檙e owed child maintenance
• you cannot pay the full amount or on time

Direct Pay

The paying parent makes payments directly to the receiving parent. You do not pay any collection fees.

Keep a record of payments. If you report a missed payment you鈥檒l need to provide a copy of your bank statement.

Report changes or missed payments

Sign in to to:

• report a change in your circumstances
• report if the paying parent misses payments or does not pay enough
• request to change to Collect and Pay

If you do not want to contact the other parent

If you do not want the other parent to know where you live, ask your bank to set up an account with a 鈥榥on-geographic鈥� sort code.听

You do not have to contact the paying parent to get payments. You can share your bank details in .

Collect and Pay

The Child Maintenance Service can collect payments from the paying parent and pass them on to the receiving parent. They can take the payment directly from the paying parent鈥檚:

• earnings (arranged with their employer)
• bank account (by Direct Debit)
• benefits or pension

You do not need to have any contact with the other parent.

Collection fees

You have to pay a fee each time you make or receive a regular child maintenance payment through the Child Maintenance Service. The fee is:

• 20% (which is added to the payment) for paying parents
• 4% (which is taken off the payment) for receiving parents

Sign in to your Child Maintenance Service account to:

• report a change in your circumstances
• report that the paying parent has not paid in full or on time, if you get payments directly from them using Direct Pay
• report an extra payment on top of your existing payments
• report any expenses or income that you want the Child Maintenance Service to consider
• view your payment plan

You鈥檒l need your:

• 12-digit reference number - you鈥檒l find this on letters from the Child Maintenance Service
• National Insurance number - you鈥檒l find this on benefit letters or payslips
• 7-digit PIN number that you chose when setting up your case

You cannot use this service to set up a new arrangement. Find out how to apply instead.

What you need to know

Contact the Child Maintenance Service if you need help using your online account.

If you or the other parent in your child maintenance case denies that they鈥檙e the child鈥檚 parent, the Child Maintenance Service can:

• ask for evidence that proves one of you is not the parent
• tell the other parent what鈥檚 happened and ask for evidence to prove parentage

If there鈥檚 no evidence to prove you鈥檙e not the parent, the Child Maintenance Service can:

• ask you and the other parent to take a DNA test
• ask the courts to make a decision

When the Child Maintenance Service assumes who the parent is

You鈥檒l be assumed to be the child鈥檚 parent if any of the following apply:

• you were married to, or the civil partner of, the child鈥檚 mother at any time between the conception and birth of the child (unless the child is adopted)
• you鈥檙e named on the child鈥檚 birth certificate (unless the child is adopted)
• a DNA test shows you鈥檙e the parent
• you legally adopted the child
• you鈥檙e named in a court order as the parent when the child was born to a surrogate mother

Paying child maintenance during a disagreement

If you鈥檙e assumed to be the parent

The Child Maintenance Service will work out a child maintenance amount. You鈥檒l have to pay this if you do not have main day-to-day care of the child. If you prove you鈥檙e not the parent you鈥檒l no longer have to pay.

If you鈥檙e not assumed to be the parent

You do not need to pay child maintenance until the disagreement has been sorted out. If you鈥檙e found to be the parent, the amount of child maintenance you have to pay will be back-dated to when the case was opened.

If you prove you鈥檙e not the parent

When this happens, the Child Maintenance Service may:

• refund the payments you鈥檝e made since the date you denied you were the parent
• offset the amount you鈥檝e paid in child maintenance against maintenance for another child you pay for
• refund the cost of any DNA tests arranged through the service
• ask the other parent to pay back any child maintenance to you

There are some changes you must tell the Child Maintenance Service about by law. You should report the change as soon as it happens.

Either parent can report a change by contacting the Child Maintenance Service.

Changes to your circumstances may mean a change to the amount of child maintenance you pay or receive. Find out how child maintenance payments are worked out.

What you need to report

Tell the Child Maintenance Service if:

• you change who the child鈥檚 main carer is
• you change the agreement on how often the child stays overnight, either with the paying parent or a local authority, and this change to 鈥榮hared care鈥� affects your child maintenance payments
• you want to change how you make and get payments using Direct Pay or Collect and Pay
• you move house (give your new address within 7 days of moving)
• you change your bank details
• you change your phone number
• you want someone else to deal with your case for you
• you add a child to your case
• the child is being adopted by someone else
• you want to close your case
• the child no longer lives in the UK
• someone on the case dies

There are extra things that need to be reported about the paying parent. Either parent can tell the Child Maintenance Service if the paying parent:

• misses a payment when using Direct Pay
• makes any voluntary payments on top of existing payments
• has an income change of 25% or more, or no longer has an income
• is spending more or less money in order to see the child, for example on transport costs

If your child is aged 16 to 19

You must report certain information about your child鈥檚 education after they turn 16.

If you do not give the right information

You could be taken to court and fined up to 拢1,000 if you:

• do not give the information you are asked for
• give information that you know is false

This applies to any person or organisation who, by law, must give the Child Maintenance Service information, for example:

• employers
• accountants
• either parent

If you are the paying parent, you will not be taken to court or fined if you made a mistake when you reported your income. You must report the mistake by contacting the Child Maintenance Service as soon as possible so that you pay the right amount of child maintenance.

You can contact the Child Maintenance Service through your online account.

Call the Child Maintenance Service

Contact the Child Maintenance Service by post

You can also write to the Child Maintenance Service.

Make a complaint

Follow the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) complaints procedure if you鈥檙e unhappy with the service you鈥檝e received.

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your payment amount. This is called asking for 鈥榤andatory reconsideration鈥�.听

You must ask for this within 30 days of the date on your decision letter.

Appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal

If you鈥檙e unhappy with the outcome of the mandatory reconsideration, you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal within one month of getting the decision. If you submit your appeal after a month you鈥檒l have to explain why you did not do it earlier.

Download and fill in form SSCS2. Send it to the address on the form.

You鈥檒l need to choose whether you want to go to the tribunal hearing to explain your case. If you do not attend, your appeal will be decided on your appeal form and any supporting evidence.

After you submit your appeal, you can provide evidence. Your appeal and the evidence will be聽considered at the hearing by a judge and聽sometimes a financial聽expert. The tribunal will then make a decision.

It usually takes around 6 months for your appeal to be heard by the tribunal.

You can make a private arrangement with your child鈥檚 other parent about how to cover your child鈥檚 living costs if both parents agree. No one else has to be involved. It鈥檚 flexible and can be changed if your circumstances change. For example, you could both agree that one parent:

• pays some of their income to the parent with day to day care
• pays for things like housing, school uniform, trips or clubs

If you cannot agree, or you feel at risk talking to the other parent, you might be able to use the Child Maintenance Service.

Working out payments

It鈥檚 up to you to decide how much payments should be. You can use the child maintenance calculator to help.

Get help to make an arrangement

You can read guidance on:

• working out the cost of raising your children

• having a conversation about child maintenance

• recording your agreement

You can also to help you agree on an arrangement.

Child maintenance stops on 31 August on or after your child鈥檚 16th birthday if they leave education or training.

It can continue until your child turns 20 if they stay in approved education or training.

Child maintenance is linked to Child Benefit. This means you need to tell HMRC about changes to your child鈥檚 education or training, not the Child Maintenance Service.

You only need to tell the HMRC Child Benefit service if your child:

• turns 16 and stays in approved education or training - so child maintenance and Child Benefit continue
• leaves approved education or training later, before they鈥檙e 20

If they leave education or training later, child maintenance stops on the last day of February, May, August or November (whichever comes first).

Approved education and training

Education must be full-time (more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience). This can include:

• A levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
• T Levels
• Scottish Highers
• NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3 - excluding intermediate and advanced apprenticeships
• home education - if it started either before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special educational needs and disabilities
• traineeships in England

Your child must be accepted onto the course before they turn 19.

Approved training should be unpaid and can include:

• in Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme
• in Scotland: the No One Left Behind programme
• in Northern Ireland: PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work

Courses that are part of a job contract are not approved.