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

• Overview

  There are different rules for child maintenance if a parent lives abroad.…

• If the other parent lives abroad

  How you get a child maintenance decision depends on whether the other…

• Enforcing a child maintenance decision if you live abroad

  You can still enforce a child maintenance decision if the other parent…

Find out what to do if your child maintenance payment is missed or you're not able to pay your child maintenance.

• If you're owed child maintenance

  You can get help from the Child Maintenance Service if the paying parent:…

• If you cannot pay the full amount and on time

  If you cannot pay child maintenance in full and on time or you’ve missed a…

Check for maintenance and downtime of the Rural Payments service over the next 4 weeks

• Updated: 24 April 2026

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

What you must do by law with a deductions from earnings order (DEO or AEO) to make child maintenance deductions from your employee's pay.

How to set up or manage a child maintenance arrangement, including what to do if a parent does not pay, how to contact the Child Maintenance Service, and signing in to your account.

What happens when the Environment Agency stops maintaining a flood or coastal erosion defence, how to challenge the decision and how to manage your risk afterwards.

• Updated: 6 April 2016

Contact your council to find out whether they offer a garden maintenance service for elderly or disabled council tenants

• Updated: 1 January 2005

• Updated: 12 December 2025