Author
Phillip Blake
Editor, Child Maintenance Guide UK
About Phillip
Phillip Blake writes and edits the guides on Child Maintenance Guide UK, an independent site that explains how the Child Maintenance Service works for paying and receiving parents alike. The site is not connected to the CMS, the DWP or GOV.UK.
His job is to turn the rules behind the CMS into something a parent can act on, and to put on the record what the service does not publish itself. That is why so much of the site is built from primary sources rather than from other websites.
How the guides are researched
- Law: rates, bands and powers are checked against the Child Support Act 1991 and its regulations on legislation.gov.uk, not summaries of them.
- Numbers: caseload, compliance and arrears figures come from the DWP's quarterly CMS statistics, with the release date stated.
- What the DWP does not publish: comes from Freedom of Information responses, cited by reference number so anyone can check the original.
- Proposals are labelled as proposals. Nothing is described as law until it is.
- No side is taken between parents. Unpaid maintenance is described as money not collected, because the data cannot show why it was not paid.
The full standards are in the editorial policy. Guides are general information, not legal advice.
Spotted an error?
Corrections are made quickly and the updated date on the guide changes when they are. Use the contact page and say which guide and which sentence.
Guides by Phillip (44)
- Can Child Maintenance Be Backdated? One Rule, One Big Exception
- CMS DNA Tests: 4,045 Cases Closed Because He Was Not the Father
- CMS Phone Wait Times: The 31 Minute Hold the DWP Confirmed
- Over 6,300 Paying Parents Died While in CMS Arrears. Nobody Recorded Why
- One Review in a Year: How the DWP Investigates Harm to CMS Customers
- The Minimum Child Maintenance Payment: £7 a Week, With Catches
- 50/50 Shared Care but Still Paying Maintenance? Here Is Why
- The Other Parent Is Struggling With Drink or Drugs. Now What?
- Simon Hunter Faces Panorama: What the CMS Boss Actually Said
- How Is Child Maintenance Calculated? The Full CMS Formula
- CMS Statistics: 1.1m Children and £791m Still Unpaid
- How Much the CMS Makes From Collect and Pay Fees
- Do Pension Contributions Reduce Child Maintenance? Yes
- Sole Trader vs Limited Company: Why Your CMS Bill Differs
- How Long Does the CMS Take? Realistic Times for Each Stage
- CMS Arrears Never Expire. Debt From the 1990s Still Counts
- Child Maintenance in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Who Actually Runs the CMS? The Names and the Chain
- Can You Go to Prison for Not Paying Child Maintenance?
- Can the Other Parent Spend Child Maintenance on Themselves?
- Can the CMS Take Money From Your New Partner?
- Inside the CMS: The Ageing Tech Behind Your Calculation
- Self-Employed? How the CMS Really Works Out What You Owe
- Company Director? The CMS Only Counts Your Salary
- What DWP Told the Lords About the CMS, and What They Left Out
- Are CMS Liability Orders Even Real Court Orders?
- Regulation 50: Who Pays When You Share Care Equally?
- Parent Moved Abroad? The CMS Usually Loses All Power
- How Long Does Collect and Pay Take? 2 to 6 Weeks
- Do I Have to Pay Child Maintenance? Almost Always, Yes
- Private Arrangement or CMS? An Honest Comparison
- When Does Child Maintenance Stop? Age 16, or 20 in Education
- Child Maintenance Advice for Fathers: Rights and Options
- Does Child Maintenance Affect Benefits? No, Not a Penny
- Is Child Maintenance Taxable? No, and Nobody Declares It
- How to Apply to the CMS: What You Need Before You Start
- How Shared Care Cuts Child Maintenance: The Night Bands
- Don't Pay Child Maintenance? Wages, Bank Account, Then Court
- How to Reduce Child Maintenance Payments, Legitimately
- Can Child Maintenance Be Changed? Only If It Moves 25%
- What Does Child Maintenance Cover? Less Than You Think
- What Counts as Income for Child Maintenance? And What Doesn't
- The CSA No Longer Exists. This Is What Replaced It
- What Is the CMS? The Child Maintenance Service Explained