Do I have to pay child maintenance?

Child maintenance, or child support, is a regular payment made to provide financial support for children following the breakdown of a relationship. For most parents, the maintenance they are required to pay will be calculated by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The government website provides a helpful calculator tool which estimates the amount of child maintenance that the CMS will determine should be payable: Calculate your child maintenance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The amount of time a child spends with each parent will affect the child maintenance payable. If your child stays overnight with the paying parent, it is deemed ‘shared care’. Depending on how many nights the child stays during the year, the child maintenance payable may be reduced. However, you must pay maintenance for your child, even if you no do not see them.

If you are concerned about the amount of child maintenance you have been told you must pay, or your financial circumstances have changed and you can no longer afford the payments, you can apply for it to be varied. To ensure you are paying the correct amount, you should notify the CMS to any changes which may affect your payments.

In some cases, child maintenance may be ordered by the family court, rather than the CMS. This is usually when the paying parent lives outside of the UK, or their income exceeds £156,000 per year. If you have been ordered to pay child maintenance by the court, you can appeal the order or apply for it to be varied.

It is important that you do not stop making child maintenance payments without contacting the CMS or family court. Otherwise, the CMS and/or the court may take enforcement action against you.

Is Vardags right for you?

Since our founding in 2005, Vardags has worked at the cutting-edge of family law, achieving life-changing results for its clients. We are widely regarded as a top family law firm, having earned the reputation of being ‘the Rolls Royce and the Ferrari of the family law world’.

We fight to deliver the results our clients need by adopting an innovative, solution-driven approach. With almost two decades of experience handling complex family law issues, we understand the importance of having the right lawyers by your side. When it comes to disputes involving children, this couldn’t be truer.

At Vardags, we will guide you through every step of this difficult process and provide the strategic advice you need to ensure you get the best possible outcome. If you think you need our help, don’t delay. Contact Vardags today.

We are ready to help

We provide a free initial consultation to suitable clients, where our team will take their time to understand the issues of your case and help you determine the next best move. Our clients typically have an income over £300,000 per annum or savings of over £100,000.

If you are concerned about the amount of child maintenance you have been required to pay, contact Vardags for a free initial consultation with one of our expert family law solicitors.

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