Child maintenance myths

Myth No.10: When it comes to child maintenance, there’s no-one I can talk to.

Impartial information and support is available to help you deal with child maintenance issues.

Child Maintenance Options is a free service for separating or separated parents, and anyone else with an interest in child maintenance. We can help you to:
• understand your options if you don’t already have a child maintenance arrangement or your current arrangement isn’t working as well as you’d like
• help you to understand how much child maintenance you need to pay – whether that’s through a private agreement or CSA arrangement

We can also help you deal with other issues linked to child maintenance, such as housing, work, money and emotional well-being – by putting you in touch with other helpful groups that offer specialist advice.

Call us for a confidential chat on freephone* 0800 988 0988
From 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
From 9am to 4pm Saturday

Child maintenance myths

Myth No. 9: The CSA doesn’t take my personal circumstances into account.

The CSA does consider your circumstances when it works out how much child maintenance you need to pay. This includes things like:
• your income
• how many children you or the other parent have or support
• how many nights a week the child spends with each of you

Other factors may also be taken into account. For example, if you:
• have to pay travel expenses in order to see your children
• have children living with you who have disabilities or a long-term illness
• are repaying certain types of debt

The CSA call these other factors ‘variations’ and you need to tell the CSA if you think a variation should be applied to your calculation.

Remember, the CSA must treat all clients in the same way – and that means using the same rules for everyone.

Top 10 Child Maintenance Myths

Myth No.8: Sorting out child maintenance is just too much hassle.

With a family-based arrangement, there is no official paperwork to do, so you start paying child maintenance for your children as soon as you agree the terms with the other parent.

If you decide to ask the CSA to arrange child maintenance for you, you can apply over the phone if you want to, rather than fill in lots of forms. The CSA aims to get your case up and running in 12 weeks or less.

Top 10 child maintenance myths

Myth 7: The CSA always favours the mother

Most non-resident parents are fathers, but it’s not the case that the CSA is biased against dads. Mothers can also be non-resident parents and they are treated in exactly the same way as fathers.

Above all else, the CSA is committed to getting more money to more children. And that means making sure money is paid by the non-resident parent to the parent with care, whatever their parental role.

When it comes to making decisions about your case, the CSA won’t automatically accept anyone’s version of events without thoroughly checking the facts first. What’s more, if you disagree with a decision the CSA makes, you may be able to ask them to look at it again.

Top 10 child maintenance myths

Myth No.6: The CSA keeps some of the child maintenance that I pay.

In the past, if a parent with care was on income-related state benefits, their benefit entitlement was reduced if they received over a certain amount of child maintenance. So it might have seemed like the CSA or the government were taking some of the money you paid.

But, since April 2010, any child maintenance that you pay will be passed on to the parent with care without affecting their benefit entitlement. Which means more money will reach your children.

Top 10 child maintenance myths

Myth No.5: I have no way of knowing what my ex spends my money on.

There is a way to make sure your money does directly benefit your children.

A family-based arrangement allows you to pay for specific things for your child, for example new clothes or a school trip instead of handing over cash. Or, you could help with the costs of running your children’s home, by contributing to household bills.

If a CSA arrangement is put in place, once money is passed to the parent with care, it is their responsibility to decide how to spend it. So if at all possible, you should try and work together with the other parent to decide the best way of providing financially for your children.

Top 10 child maintenance myths

Myth No.4: I have no control over how much child maintenance I pay and when I have to pay it.

This is not always the case.

With a family-based arrangement, you and the other parent can decide between yourselves how much child maintenance should be paid, and how often it is paid, as long as you both agree.

Family-based arrangements also give you the flexibility to change how much you pay depending on your circumstances. For example, if you lose your job, with the other parent’s agreement you can arrange to pay a bit less child maintenance until you’re back on your feet.

Of course, you should make sure that money is always paid regularly, so your kids don’t go without.

If you’re not sure how much child maintenance you should be paying, you can ask the Child Maintenance Options service to help you estimate an amount. You can then use this amount as a basis for your family-based arrangement.

But, family-based arrangements are not suitable for everybody, and if either parent asks the CSA to become involved, it will.