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Everything you need to know about the UK Child Maintenance Service
28 articles
receiving parentDo Pension Contributions Reduce Child Maintenance? Yes
Pensions come off your assessed income, but only automatically in some schemes. Pay into a personal pension and the CMS will not know unless you tell them.
Sole Trader vs Limited Company: Why Your CMS Bill Differs
Same profit, five times the difference in maintenance. Why directors are assessed on salary alone, and the free variation that closes the gap.
How Long Does the CMS Take? Realistic Times for Each Stage
4 to 12 weeks for a calculation, 6 to 8 for a deduction from earnings, up to 18 months for a liability order. What to do when yours overruns.
CMS Arrears Never Expire. Debt From the 1990s Still Counts
Child maintenance arrears do not become statute barred, and bankruptcy will not clear them. When they can be written off, and how to check the figure is right.
Child Maintenance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The formula is identical across the UK. But Northern Ireland runs a separate service, and in Scotland a child aged 12 can apply for maintenance themselves.
Who Actually Runs the CMS? The Names and the Chain
The CMS is not an agency. It is a directorate inside the DWP, and a named minister answers for it in Parliament. Who is accountable, and how to reach them.
Can You Go to Prison for Not Paying Child Maintenance?
The CMS can ask a court to jail you for arrears under section 40 of the Child Support Act 1991. Here is how rare it really is, and what actually happens.
Can the Other Parent Spend Child Maintenance on Themselves?
There is no legal duty to account for how child maintenance is spent, and the CMS cannot investigate it. What the law actually says, and why it was built that way.
CMS Statistics: 1.1m Children and £791m Still Unpaid
The latest DWP figures on compliance, arrears and enforcement, and what they reveal about a system where a fifth of paying parents hand over nothing at all.
Inside the CMS: The Ageing Tech Behind Your Calculation
The systems that run child maintenance, where your HMRC data comes from, and what the technology explains about the errors parents keep reporting.
What DWP Told the Lords About the CMS, and What They Left Out
Senior DWP officials gave evidence on the Child Maintenance Service in March 2025. Where their account and the department's own figures do not match.
Regulation 50: Who Pays When You Share Care Equally?
When care is genuinely 50/50, one parent still pays. The rule that decides which one is not what most parents expect, and nights are counted strictly.
Parent Moved Abroad? The CMS Usually Loses All Power
The CMS cannot touch a parent living overseas, with a handful of exceptions. The REMO route, which countries enforce UK orders, and what to do if yours does not.
How Much the CMS Makes From Collect and Pay Fees
Both parents are charged to use Collect and Pay. We used DWP's own statistics to work out what that raised in the year to March 2026, and who really carries the cost.
How Long Does Collect and Pay Take? 2 to 6 Weeks
Allow 2 to 6 weeks after your calculation before money moves, or 6 to 8 if an order goes to an employer. Plus what the fees cost each parent.
Private Arrangement or CMS? An Honest Comparison
A family arrangement is free and flexible. The CMS costs money but has legal teeth. Which one suits your situation, and when to switch.
When Does Child Maintenance Stop? Age 16, or 20 in Education
Payments end at 16, or up to 20 if your child stays in approved education. What counts as approved, what does not, and what ends it sooner.
Does Child Maintenance Affect Benefits? No, Not a Penny
Child maintenance is completely ignored for Universal Credit and every other benefit. Paying it does not reduce your own entitlement either.
Can Child Maintenance Be Backdated? Usually Not
The CMS will not pay you for the years before you applied. But arrears under an existing assessment have no time limit at all. The difference matters.
Is Child Maintenance Taxable? No, and Nobody Declares It
You pay no tax on maintenance you receive, and you get no relief on maintenance you pay. What that means for your benefits and your tax return.
How to Apply to the CMS: What You Need Before You Start
Applying is free since 2024. The details that speed your claim up, and the missing information that adds weeks of delay before anyone calculates a figure.
How Shared Care Cuts Child Maintenance: The Night Bands
52 nights a year cuts your payment by a seventh. 175 nights halves it and takes off another £7. Why a single extra night can be worth hundreds.
Can Child Maintenance Be Changed? Only If It Moves 25%
The CMS ignores income changes under 25% until your annual review comes round. What you must report, what gets ignored, and how to force a recalculation.
What Does Child Maintenance Cover? Less Than You Think
There is no legal list. Maintenance is a contribution towards everyday costs, not a bill for school trips, uniforms or birthdays. What to ask for separately.
What Counts as Income for Child Maintenance? And What Doesn't
The CMS uses gross income straight from HMRC. Bonuses and overtime count. Your new partner's wages do not. Dividends only count if someone asks.
How Is Child Maintenance Calculated? The Full CMS Formula
12% for one child, 16% for two, 19% for three. That is the headline. The income bands, deductions and shared care rules change the real figure.
The CSA No Longer Exists. This Is What Replaced It
The Child Support Agency closed years ago, but millions still search for it. What it was, why it failed, and what the CMS does differently.
What Is the CMS? The Child Maintenance Service Explained
The CMS works out and collects child maintenance when parents cannot agree. What it does, what it charges, and whether you need it at all.