Household Expenditure Child Support Award (HECSA)

What Is a Household Expenditure Child Support Award (HECSA)?

A Household Expenditure Child Support Award (HECSA) is a type of child maintenance order that goes beyond covering a child’s direct expenses, introduced by Mostyn J in Collardeau-Fuchs v Fuchs (Rev1) [2022] EWFC 135. The HESCA allows the court to award payments which may extend beyond the expenses of the child and support the caregiving parent’s household expenses, where those costs are necessary to maintain the child’s standard of living.

How Does a HECSA Work?

A HECSA is designed to reflect the reality that supporting a child often means supporting the household they live in. It can cover:

• Utility bills
• Transport costs
• Family holidays
• Other reasonable household expenses

However, it cannot be used to fund expenses that are purely personal to the parent and unrelated to their caregiving role, and such expenses can only be covered by a HESCA where the parent is unable to meet themselves.

How Do Courts Decide the Amount?

To determine a reasonable level of household expenses to be covered by a HECSA, Mostyn J directed that the court should look at the parties’ current standard of living, and if relevant, the standard of living enjoyed by them prior to the breakdown of their relationship.

The goal is not to replicate exactly the lifestyle the child experienced previously, but the child is entitled to a lifestyle which is “not entirely out of kilter” (HRH Haya Bint Al Hussein v HRH Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum [2021] EWFC 94) with the one they enjoyed prior to the breakdown of their parents’ relationship. 

HECSA vs. Schedule 1 and Matrimonial Causes Act Claims

It is important to note that Mostyn J distinguished between Schedule 1 applications and other applications where the parent has no claim for spousal maintenance, from applications for financial relief under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, where child maintenance is a subsidiary claim.

A HECSA may only be made in the former cases, for example, where the parties were never married, the applicant has remarried, or spousal maintenance has already been determined by a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement. 

If you require advice regarding how much child maintenance you or your former partner should pay, contact Vardags today for a free initial consultation with one of our expert divorce solicitors. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a HECSA in UK family law?

A: A Household Expenditure Child Support Award allows courts to order child maintenance that covers the caregiving parent’s household expenses.

Q: Can a HECSA cover holidays or transport?

A: Yes, if those costs are part of maintaining the child’s standard of living.

Q: Is a HECSA the same as spousal maintenance?

A: No. It’s a child maintenance award that supports the parent’s caregiving role, not their personal needs.