Child Maintenance Solicitors

Looking after you and your children’s future

Our expert child maintenance lawyers work with you to agree how much you or your former spouse or partner should be paying for your children’s care going forward.

The needs and welfare of children are considered to be the top priority by UK courts. Therefore any arrangements agreed to during or after a divorce must ensure that their needs are met first and foremost – this includes child maintenance arrangements.

We can guide you through the process of ensuring children are front and centre of any child maintenance conversations, ensuring the outcome is right for you, your family and your future. We can also help if payments have halted.

As a parent to a child, you have a legal duty to contribute to their upbringing. Child maintenance is a regular financial payment made by the absent parent to the resident parent for a child up to the age of 16 or 20 if in full-time education.

Many couples are able to agree to maintenance payments amicably – this is known as a family-based arrangement.

If this cannot be agreed, a government scheme called the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can help calculate payments due, but there will be costs applied.

Finally, a court order can be sought to set maintenance payments, which can happen if a parent is not paying, lives abroad or has a particularly high income.

Whichever stage of the process you are at, our child support lawyers can help. Call our specialist team now on 0330 024 0333 or contact us online using the button below.

Wherever you are on your journey, our legal advisors can help. Call us today on 0330 024 0333 or use the button below to complete our contact form.

Our Child Maintenance Team

https://www.shma.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/10/5.svg

How Our Child Maintenance Experts Can Help

Divorce

Divorce & Separation can be a daunting and very emotional time and worry and anxiety are only natural. There are many things to consider when divorcing including child arrangements and financial settlements, but our experienced, empathetic and highly-rated divorce solicitors are here to provide you with support and confidence.

Child Custody

Our child custody lawyers help parents to discuss and agree arrangements on important matters that concern your children, including where they will live, how much time they will spend with each parent and other issues related to their schooling, health or religious upbringing. We help everyone involved to reach prompt solutions and settle into a new routine.

Global families and complex child custody issues

Families increasingly have complex structures, in many cases involving webs of national and international connections. We’ve successfully made, and defended, court applications for permission to relocate children. We’re also an experienced hand to help you through difficult issues like child abduction, grandparents’ ‘rights’ and financial claims made on behalf of children or against the property you once shared with your ex-partner.

Resolving divorces outside of court

Settling differences out of court can be quicker and more cost effective. We help you to use alternative channels such as mediation, collaborative law and negotiation to reach a swift conclusion and a mutually-agreeable solution.

Why Choose Us?

Child Maintenance Frequently Asked Questions

As a parent to a child, you have a legal duty to contribute to their upbringing. Child maintenance is a regular financial payment made by the absent parent to the resident parent for a child up to the age of 16 or 20 if in full time education.

Many couples are able to agree to maintenance payments amicably – this is known as a family-based arrangement.

If this cannot be agreed, a government scheme called the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can help calculate payments due, but there will be costs applied.

Finally, a court order can be sought to set maintenance payments, which can happen if a parent is not paying, lives abroad or has a particularly high income.

Whichever stage of the process you are at, our child support lawyers can help.

The process of getting a child maintenance order will vary, depending on the route you choose to take:

• Arranging child maintenance voluntarily with each other (private arrangement)
• Arranging child maintenance through the Child Maintenance Service
• If you’re getting divorced or ending a civil partnership

It is advisable to speak to a solicitor before you make any decisions as they’ll be able to talk you through your options, explain what is involved with each route, and guide you through the process – from start to finish.

If your child’s other parent refuses to pay child maintenance, or is only paying part of it, there are steps you can take.

If you reached a private arrangement, i.e. agreed an amount directly with the other parent, then you will first need to try and communicate with that parent to find out why they’re not paying. If this is unsuccessful you can ask the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to try and collect your child maintenance instead. However, it’s worth noting that the CMS can’t make the other parent pay any arrears they already owe you.

If you arranged child maintenance through the CMS, then there are a number of things they can do for you to recover the money through their earnings, benefits or bank account. If this doesn’t work then the CMS can apply to the court.

If the day-to-day care of a child is shared 50/50 between a paying parent and a receiving parent, then the paying parent does not have to pay any child maintenance for that child.

If you believes circumstances have changed since the child maintenance order or agreement was made, such as you or your ex-partner’s income or wealth changes substantially, you might be able to adjust the level of child maintenance payments.

If you’ve made a private agreement then it is best to work with the other parent to come to a new agreement. If this isn’t possible, then you may need to file a court application to get a new maintenance order from the court. However, it’s important that you check with a solicitor beforehand regarding updating a court order that contains previous agreements on child maintenance payments.

What Our Clients Say About Us

How The Child Maintenance Process Works

Not everyone is aware of how the process of engaging Child Maintenance solicitors works, so we’ve provided an overview below to give you some peace of mind
  1. The first stage is to get in touch with us using the button below – you will then be assigned to one of our Child Maintenance specialists. Alternatively, you can reach us on 0330 024 0333.

  2. You’ll then receive a free 15-minute consultation within 24 hours via Zoom or telephone to discuss the issues you’re facing.

  3. You are then provided with a transparent breakdown of our costs and, if you would like to proceed, we send you a pack of onboarding documents

  4. Following this, we will guide and support you through the process of achieving a resolution that works for you and your family.

Featured Child Law Services

Divorce

If your marriage has broken down and you are looking to separate, you want the best outcome for yourself and your family. Our separation and divorce lawyers are right here to advise and guide you through the process.

Children

Parenting through a separation is never easy. Our team of experts are on hand to guide you through the process of making child arrangement orders, always ensuring the long-term interests of your children remain at the heart of every child custody decision.

Wherever you are on your journey, our Child Maintenance specialists are here to answer any questions you might have

If you’d like to speak to a member of our team, please fill out the enquiry form. We will aim to reply to your query within 2 hours

Need to talk to someone sooner? You can call use at the number below

Call Us: 0330 024 0333

Our Latest Updates

Illustration made by Storyset from www.flaticon.com