Check what child maintenance arrangement is right for you

Summary

Child maintenance won’t affect any benefits you get. For example, you won’t get less Universal Credit if you also get child maintenance. If you’re entitled to Council Tax Reduction, you might get less help if you also get child maintenance - check with your local council. You'll still have to pay maintenance if you claim certain benefits or you’re part of a new partner’s benefit claim for a means-tested benefit like Universal Credit. There are 3 different ways to arrange child maintenance. Some people arrange maintenance voluntarily with each other, others have maintenance calculated and collected under a government scheme and some have arrangements made by a court order. You can ask the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to arrange maintenance for you. You won't have to pay a fee. If you can, it’s best for you to arrange child maintenance directly with your child’s other parent. It’s called making a private or ‘family-based’ arrangement. You might be able to do this if you get on with your child’s other parent and know where they live. You might be able to make arrangements for child maintenance as part of the process for ending your relationship. You can ask the court to put this.

Key information

• •a full-time student with no income
• •can’t agree an arrangement with the other parent
• •don’t know how to contact the other parent
• •don’t want to have direct contact with the other parent
• •earns more than £3,000 a week and you want to top up the maintenance you get through the CMS
• •Child maintenance won’t affect any benefits you get. For example, you won’t get less Universal Credit if you also get child maintenance.
• •If you’re entitled to Council Tax Reduction, you might get less help if you also get child maintenance - check with your local council.
• •You'll still have to pay maintenance if you claim certain benefits or you’re part of a new partner’s benefit claim for a means-tested benefit like Universal Credit.
• •There are 3 different ways to arrange child maintenance. Some people arrange maintenance voluntarily with each other, others have maintenance calculated and collected under a government scheme and some have arrangements made by a court order.
• •You can ask the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to arrange maintenance for you. You won't have to pay a fee.
• •If you can, it’s best for you to arrange child maintenance directly with your child’s other parent. It’s called making a private or ‘family-based’ arrangement.
• •You might be able to do this if you get on with your child’s other parent and know where they live.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Check what child maintenance arrangement is right for you](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/children-and-young-people/child-maintenance1/choosing-how-to-arrange-child-maintenance/check-what-child-maintenance-arrangement-is-right-for-you/)

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