Unpaid child maintenance
If you're owed child maintenance
You can get help from the Child Maintenance Service if the paying parent:
- misses payments
- does not pay in full
- makes payments late
What you do depends on whether you:
- get payments directly from the paying parent (known as Direct Pay)
- use the Child Maintenance Service to manage payments (known as Collect and Pay)
If you get payments directly from the paying parent (Direct Pay)
The Child Maintenance Service cannot take action while you are on Direct Pay. You can ask to move to Collect and Pay by signing into your Child Maintenance account.
Both parents pay a fee to use Collect and Pay. Find out more about child maintenance payments and fees.
If you get payments through the Child Maintenance Service (Collect and Pay)
If you get your payments through the Child Maintenance Service, you do not need to do anything. The Child Maintenance Service will take action if a payment is not made in full and on time.
The Child Maintenance Service might not be able to tell you what actions they are taking.
What the Child Maintenance Service can do
What the Child Maintenance Service will do depends on the paying parent’s circumstances.
The Child Maintenance Service can:
- make deductions directly from their pay, pension or benefits
- take money directly from their bank account
- get a court order for payments (called a liability order)
The paying parent will need to pay an extra fee if the Child Maintenance Service uses these actions.
If a court order is granted, the Child Maintenance Service can take further actions such as seizing their property.
If you need help with money while you wait for missing payments, find out what support you can get with the cost of living.