Agreeing maintenance between you

Summary

* the amount of maintenance that will be paid You don’t have to get or pay a fixed amount of money every month. You could, for example, agree the one of you who’ll be paying will pay: * the rent or mortgage on the home where the child lives You can get help from a mediator if you’re both willing to agree to mediation. You can read more about mediation. You can use the child maintenance calculator on GOV.UK to get an idea of how much the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) would ask the one of you who’ll be paying to pay. You can use this figure as a basis for your negotiations. To use the calculator, you’ll need to know if the one of you who’ll be paying gets any benefits and how much they earn. If you both look after your child, you’ll also need to know how many nights each week the child spends with each of you. You should agree when payments are made. They could be weekly or monthly if the payments will be regular. If you’ve agreed one of you will pay a bill or the rent, the money could be transferred just before those payments are due. It’s a good idea to agree how payments should be made - for example, by standing order into a bank account. This means payments are more likely to.

Key information

• •the amount of maintenance that will be paid
• •when payments should be made
• •how payments should be made
• •a date to review the arrangement
• •for school uniforms or holidays
• •the rent or mortgage on the home where the child lives
• •you’ve been affected by domestic violence or abuse
• •you made your agreement through mediation and you got legal aid for the mediation
• •You don’t have to get or pay a fixed amount of money every month. You could, for example, agree the one of you who’ll be paying will pay:
• •You can get help from a mediator if you’re both willing to agree to mediation. You can read more about mediation.
• •You can use the child maintenance calculator on GOV.UK to get an idea of how much the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) would ask the one of you who’ll be paying to pay. You can use this figure as a basis for your negotiations.
• •To use the calculator, you’ll need to know if the one of you who’ll be paying gets any benefits and how much they earn. If you both look after your child, you’ll also need to know how many nights each week the child spends with each of you.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Agreeing maintenance between you](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/children-and-young-people/child-maintenance1/making-a-private-child-maintenance-arrangement/agreeing-maintenance-between-you/)

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