Find clear answers to the most common questions about the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) in the UK, including child maintenance payments, Direct Pay, Collect & Pay, missed payments, enforcement, and how to challenge CMS decisions.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is a government service that calculates, manages, and enforces child maintenance payments between separated parents.
Payments are calculated using the paying parent’s gross weekly income, the number of children, and how often the child stays overnight.
CMS uses gross income information provided by HMRC, including earnings from employment and self-employment.
CMS has powers to recover unpaid maintenance, including deductions from earnings, bank accounts, or legal enforcement action.
Direct Pay is when both parents arrange and manage child maintenance payments between themselves without CMS handling the money.
Collect and Pay is a service where CMS collects payments from one parent and sends them to the other, usually when payments are not made voluntarily.
If you disagree with a decision, you can ask CMS to review it and, if needed, take the matter further through the appropriate process.
Processing times can vary, but cases are usually set up within a few weeks depending on how quickly information is provided.
In some situations, a case can be closed or arrangements changed, depending on the circumstances and agreements between parents.
Missed payments can lead to enforcement action, depending on how the case is set up and managed.
Child maintenance payments are not treated as taxable income.
CMS can be contacted online or by phone to manage your case, report issues, or request further information.
No. This website provides structured guidance and general information based on common CMS processes. It is not legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for professional legal support. You should consider seeking qualified advice where necessary.
No. This pack is designed so you can handle the process yourself using clear step-by-step guidance. Many parents choose to manage their case independently without needing a solicitor.
A parent or person with main day-to-day care of a qualifying child can usually apply to the Child Maintenance Service. In some circumstances, others responsible for a child may also be eligible.
Yes. Parents can make a family-based arrangement without involving the Child Maintenance Service if they both agree on the amount and payment schedule.
Child maintenance usually ends when a child leaves approved full-time non-advanced education (such as A-levels or equivalent), or reaches age 20, whichever comes first. If the child leaves school at 16 or 17 and does not continue in approved education, maintenance may end earlier. University courses are not approved education for Child Maintenance Service purposes, so child maintenance normally does not continue while a child is at university.
Yes. Payments may change if income, care arrangements, or other relevant circumstances change. CMS may review a case when notified of significant changes.
In some situations, a previous CMS case can be reopened or a new application made, depending on the circumstances and whether child maintenance is still payable.