A recent report found that of the 1.8 million single parents in the UK, 40% have failed to receive the child maintenance payments from their ex-partners that are required by law. Child maintenance is designed to equalise the financial burden on parents after separation. As it is likely that custody of a child is split disproportionately between parents, it often means that one accrues larger associated costs.
The average cost of bringing a child up in the UK to 21 years old is £229,251 meaning this difference can add up over time. This has resulted in many single parents, mostly mothers, getting into debt or relying on food banks to help feed their children. We’ve put together some advice to help if you’re struggling to solve disagreements over Child Maintenance payments.
It’s common for a family to come to their own agreement about Child Maintenance costs. This is called a Family-Based Arrangement and the UK Government provides helpful online tools such as the Child Maintenance Calculator to assist with this. However, should an ex-partner decide not to co-operate, there are still options available.
The Child Support Agency (CSA) is a government-run organisation that will find your ex-partner if their address is unknown. They will assist with parentage disputes, assess your ex-partner’s income and how much child maintenance should be paid, and finally arrange for these payments to be made to the owed parents. They will also backdate any missed payments and escalate the matter to court if the former partner refuses to pay. If they consistently fail to pay child maintenance it can result in a prison sentence.
Child maintenance is an agreement between both parents to cover the living costs of their children when one parent no longer lives with them. Both parents are responsible for this cost even if they do not see the child.
If you are struggling to solve disagreements over Child Maintenance payments or just want some friendly, confidential advice, Grahame Stowe Bateson provides free advice clinics every Wednesday evening at 5pm – 7pm. You can also call us on 0113 2468163 or contact us here.
