How the Child Maintenance Service works out child maintenance
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1. How child maintenance is worked out
The Child Maintenance Service usually follows 6 steps to work out the weekly amount of child maintenance.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
The child maintenance calculator shows you what the government is likely to work out for you.
Step 1 - working out income
The Child Maintenance Service will find out the paying parent’s yearly gross income from information supplied by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
They’ll also check if the paying parent is getting benefits (tax credits, student grants and loans do not count as income).
The ‘paying parent’ does not have main day-to-day care of the child. The ‘receiving parent’ has main day-to-day care of the child.
Step 2 - looking at things that affect income
The Child Maintenance Service will check for things that could change the gross income amount (for example, pension payments or other children they support).
You can also ask for extra income, assets or expenses to be taken into account.
They’ll convert the yearly gross income into a weekly figure.
Step 3 - child maintenance rates
One of 5 rates will be applied, based on the gross weekly income of the paying parent.
| Gross weekly income | Rate | Weekly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or not provided | Default | £38 for 1 child, £51 for 2 children, £64 for 3 or more children |
| Below £7 | Nil | £0 |
| £7 to £100, or if the paying parent gets benefits | Flat | £7 |
| £100.01 to £199.99 | Reduced | Calculated using a formula |
| £200 to £3,000 | Basic | Calculated using a formula |
If the paying parent’s gross weekly income is more than £3,000, the receiving parent can apply to the courts for extra child maintenance.
Step 4 - other children
The Child Maintenance Service will take into account the number of children the paying parent has to pay child maintenance for. This includes any other children living with them and any arrangements that have been made directly for other children.
Step 5 - weekly amount of child maintenance
Using information from the first 4 steps, the Child Maintenance Service decides the weekly child maintenance amount.
Step 6 - shared care
Shared care is when a paying parent’s child stays overnight with them.
The number of shared care nights is based on a court order or any agreement reached between the parents.
The Child Maintenance Service could reduce the weekly amount of child maintenance if:
- the paying parent is paying the flat, reduced or basic rate of child maintenance
- the parents agree that the child will stay overnight for 52 nights a year or more
Shared care can also include nights spent in local authority overnight care. Read the child maintenance factsheet for more details.
For flat rates of child maintenance
If the paying parent gets benefits and it’s agreed that the child stays overnight for 52 nights or more a year, they do not pay child maintenance for:
- the child that stays overnight
- any other children who live in the same household as that child
If the paying parent does not get benefits, overnight stays will not affect the amount of child maintenance paid.
For reduced and basic rates of child maintenance
The number of agreed overnight stays affects how much the child maintenance payments will be reduced by.
If the parents agree to at least 52 nights a year but cannot agree on the exact number of nights above this, the Child Maintenance Service will assume that shared care is only happening for 52 nights a year.
The child maintenance payments cannot go below £7 a week.
| Number of agreed overnight stays each year | Reduction to child maintenance for each child |
|---|---|
| 52 to 103 nights | 14.29% |
| 104 to 155 nights | 28.57% |
| 156 to 174 nights | 42.86% |
| 175 nights or more | 50%, plus an extra £7 a week reduction |
2. Asking for other income and expenses to be included
You can ask the Child Maintenance Service to take other income and expenses into account when working out child maintenance payments. This is called ‘applying for a variation’.
You can ask for a variation when you apply for child maintenance or after your child maintenance has been worked out.
After you apply for a variation, it can take up to 3 months for your Child Maintenance payment amount to change.
Income and assets
Both the paying and receiving parent can ask for the following types of income and assets to be taken into account:
- rental income over £2,500 a year
- interest and dividends from savings and investments over £2,500 a year
- gross earnings or pension of at least £100 a week - if the paying parent gets benefits and qualifies to pay the ‘flat rate’ of child maintenance
- any income the paying parent may be diverting so that it is not included in the calculation (for example, giving it to someone else or choosing to have a company car instead of a higher salary)
- assets like shares, stocks, gold or money worth more than £31,250
Expenses
If you’re the paying parent, you can ask for the following types of expenses to be taken into account:
- costs of keeping in regular contact with a child you pay maintenance for (for example, fuel to travel between your home and the child’s)
- costs of supporting a child with a disability or long term illness who lives with you
- repaying debts from a previous relationship
- boarding part of boarding school fees for a child you pay maintenance for
- mortgage, loan or insurance payments for the home you used to share with the receiving parent - if the receiving parent and your child still live there
Each type of expense must be more than £10 a week. The costs of supporting a child with a disability or long-term illness can be less.
You cannot ask for expenses to be taken into account if your gross income is less than £7 a week.
Contact the Child Maintenance Service to apply for a variation.
3. When payments can change
The amount you pay or receive in child maintenance can change when:
- your case is reviewed each year
- you or the other parent applies for a variation
- the paying parent has a change of circumstances that affects their income or expenses
- the paying parent is paying the flat, reduced or basic rate and there’s a change to the agreement on how often the child stays overnight with them or in local authority care
For the last two points, you might need to report a change as soon as they happen.