Child maintenance

Arrange child maintenance, calculator, how payments are worked out, when payments stop.

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Services

• How the Child Maintenance Service works out child maintenance

  See how the Child Maintenance Service works out maintenance and the rates they use

• Child maintenance if a parent lives abroad

  What to do if you need to get child maintenance and one of the parents lives abroad.

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Guidance and regulation

• Working out the cost of raising your children
  • Guidance
  • 12 August 2019
  • Department for Work and Pensions
• Your child maintenance arrangement
  • Guidance
  • 12 August 2019
  • Department for Work and Pensions
• Planning your child maintenance conversation
  • Guidance
  • 12 August 2019
  • Department for Work and Pensions
• Child Maintenance Service statistics: background information and methodology
  • Guidance
  • 26 March 2024
  • Department for Work and Pensions
• Separated families statistics: background information and methodology
  • Guidance
  • 21 March 2024
  • Department for Work and Pensions

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News and communications

• Curfews proposed for parents who fail to pay child maintenance
  • 9 July 2022
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Press release
• Government needs to do more to improve the welfare of separated families
  • 22 October 2019
  • Social Security Advisory Committee
  • Press release

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Research and statistics

• Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to December 2023
  • 26 March 2024
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Official statistics
• Separated families statistics: April 2014 to March 2023
  • 21 March 2024
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Official statistics
• Child Maintenance Service statistics Northern Ireland: data to December 2023
  • 20 March 2024
  • Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
  • Official statistics
• Child Maintenance Service statistics Northern Ireland: data to September 2023
  • 13 December 2023
  • Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
  • Official statistics
• Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to September 2023
  • 12 December 2023
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Official statistics

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Policy papers and consultations

• Child Maintenance: Improving our enforcement powers through the commencement of curfew orders
  • 9 July 2022
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Closed consultation
  • Date closed 12 August 2022
• Child maintenance: changes to powers of entry and information requests
  • 26 March 2019
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 11 February 2019
• Government response to the independent review of the Child Maintenance Service response to domestic abuse
  • 19 January 2023
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Policy paper

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Transparency and freedom of information releases

• Child maintenance: client funds account 2022 to 2023
  • 6 December 2023
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Corporate report
• Child maintenance: client funds account 2018 to 2019
  • 30 January 2020
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Corporate report
• Child maintenance: client funds account 2017 to 2018
  • 13 December 2018
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Corporate report

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Organisations

• Department for Work & Pensions
• HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Official Solicitor and Public Trustee

• Social Security Advisory Committee