My stepson is 17 years old and is working whilst also studying at college. He recently moved out of his mother's house and in with his girlfriend. Should we (his dad and myself) still pay maintenance? If so, who do we pay it to and what happens if he decides to move back in with his mother?
Who has to pay child maintenance?
When parents separate or divorce, both still have a financial responsibility towards their children. The parent who does not live with the child most of the time is usually expected to pay child maintenance to the parent who does.
This duty applies until the child turns 16, or up to 20 if they remain in full-time education up to A-level or equivalent. If a child marries before 18, the obligation to pay maintenance typically ends, though court orders may specify different terms.
Child maintenance exists to make sure both parents contribute fairly to the costs of raising their child. It covers everyday expenses like food, clothing, housing and other essentials.

Check your legal rights as a parent on education, health and welfare decisions.
Try our Parental Rights Checker free, here on this site →How child maintenance can be arranged
There are three main ways to set up child maintenance in the UK:
- A family based arrangement, where parents agree between themselves on the amount and payment schedule
- Through the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), which can calculate and collect payments
- By court order, which is typically used for cases involving international elements or higher income families
Many parents manage to reach their own agreement without involving the CMS. This approach can be more flexible and avoids fees. You can also use the CMS online calculator to work out a fair amount, then base your private arrangement on that figure.
Mediation services offer another option. A trained mediator can help you and your former partner reach an agreement without formal intervention from the CMS or courts.
If one parent is unwilling to pay or you cannot agree on an amount, the CMS can step in to assess what should be paid. The Child Support Agency (CSA) no longer handles new cases. All child maintenance cases now go through the CMS.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
How the CMS calculates payments
When the CMS calculates child maintenance, it considers several factors. The paying parent's gross weekly income is the starting point. This figure usually comes directly from HMRC records.
The calculation also takes into account:
- How many children the maintenance covers
- How many nights the child stays with the paying parent
- Whether the paying parent has other children living in their household
If the child spends a significant number of nights with the paying parent, this can reduce the amount owed. The CMS uses set rates and percentages, which you can check on GOV.UK for current figures.
Where one parent lives abroad, different rules may apply. The CMS can only deal with cases where the paying parent lives in the UK. For international cases, you may need legal advice or court involvement.
When circumstances change
Child maintenance can be subject to change. If your situation shifts, the amount may need adjusting.
Common reasons for reassessment include a change in income, variations in the child's overnight stays with either parent, or a new child joining the paying parent's household. Either parent can ask the CMS to look at the case again if circumstances have genuinely shifted.
You should report changes promptly. Failing to do so can lead to arrears building up or payments being set at the wrong level.
If you have a private arrangement and one parent stops paying, you may be able to apply to the CMS for help. There are fees for using the CMS collection service, so evaluate whether this is the right option for your situation.
For the most accurate and current information on child maintenance rates, how to apply, and what to do if payments stop, visit GOV.UK or contact the Child Maintenance Service directly.
Anyway so my question is do I still pay?
How do I find out if she is in full time education as I have been said my ex doesn't need to prove anything and they will take her word for it which totally redicilous.
“we need it as we are paying mortgage at the moment” . They lied to me about seeing my kids 16 years ago I'm not signed agreement I'm not allowed to see my kids again said my ex She is marriage now
I should do?
They moved away from his college and job so when he works 2-3 nights a week he stays at my mums. This is random nights as he doesn’t know his shift till the weekend.
It just gets to me that I am paying one of her mortgages. I’d sooner give the money to my son.
Never missed a payment in 17 years.
I found out in 2009 when my daughter was born from a friend who found out on facebook. I then attempted contact as I wanted to be a father to my daughter. I had to initiate contact through a solicitor, at first by mediation which she refused to attend stating that 'it was too early for me to have any contact with my daughter as she was a newborn'.
So I initiated court proceedings. Not long later I had some guys cornering me on the street threatening me and they seemed to know about me taking my ex to court. Although I can't prove it was her who got them onto me I can't see how else?
I was mentally and emotionally battered and at this point scared too, so I cancelled court proceedings. Seven months later I managed to get my ex to let me have contact with my daughter (all arranged between ourselves and not through court or solicitors) I gave her £100 in cash which was completely off the record, and I told her that I would like to arrange regular payment and access etc... I also told her that I wanted my name on my daughters birth certificate, which she went completely mad at the situation and refused to have me added to it, as she stated that would give me parental responsibility and rights. I got to see my daughter once more after this and then my ex refused to let me have anymore contact. I kept trying to arrange more visits and I made several different offers of child maintenance that were more than what she would have received if we had used cms and I would have paid her direct, but she refused all of them. I asked her at this point if she actually wanted me to be involved in our daughters life, to which she replied this.... 'if you're only prepared to pay for her on your terms then no'
At this point I made the only choice that I could make for my daughter which was to not be there for her as it would give her the most stable upbringing without me in the picture, as my ex would constantly do whatever she could to alienate me entirely.
My concern is now that my estranged daughter is going to be 16 in about 18 months, will my ex be able to take me to court to chase 16 years of missed maintenance off me? (bearing in mind that no formal maintenance plan was ever agreed to between ourselves as she rejected all of my offers) I worry because this is the sort of despicable act she would attempt as she is financially driven and I think that to her our daughter is a financial opportunity. She never wanted me to have access to my daughter but at the same time I bet that she would still have liked maintenance too, but she refused my offers because she did not want to give me any access rights. So could she now pull this by contacting me and requ
I paid private arrangement for daughter, 16/17 while I worked abroad. She was unhappy at her mums/ stepdads who are in next village. She asked and I agreed for her to move home, with her boyfriend and I ceased maintenance , £900/month, and instead paid all her expenses while she lived in our comfortable home. This arrangement was Aug - Oct when we returned home, she spent a few weeks with her mum, but every weekend at our home. My ex has raised a CMS claim for arrears. £1570, 5 weeks worth I have dispute the case in writing but I think the decision will be based on what CMS define as primary carer. I pay for her mediacla cover, mu and I are both contacted for school issues , we were 50/50 share before I moved abroad. I calculate , based on arrears calc, I could be due to pay about £600 based on a new mandatory recalculation £294/week. I have offered to pay £900.
So question is, what defines primary care in this situation? She was living in my home, I was paying directly to my daughter?
Their mother is claiming that payment is to be made until they reach the age of 20 as they are both in ‘further education’.
Is the onus the mother to prove they are still undertaking further education or on myself to prove they are not?
A more difficult situation I appreciate as they have been home schooled hence the reason for my seeking advice.
Thanks in advance
I’m a military personnel my annual review has just come in and gone up by £100 there in my eyes is a few things that are not being taken into consideration and need advice if this will actually change in what’s happening
1. My taxable income I was assessed on my earnings for last year which was more than my annual salary due to me being overseas my annual income is £36,000 but was £40,000 last year
2. My child is actually in boarding school (full time) so my ex doesn’t have him mon-fri and some weekends herself
3. And final one is every year it magically appears that I’m in arrears this year was £400 this happens every year the amount varies and every year I get my bank statements send them of like where is this coming from I pay on time the set amount every month and this always happens
4. I can’t physically have my son like most civilian fathers due to work and going away like does this get taken into consideration
5.I have debts I need paying that along with cost of living a Jump by £100 a month is ridiculous
It’s getting to the point it feels like the system is against me doesn’t matter what I do and becoming a joke I can’t win
My ex has told me I still need to pay for her as she has took out a 6month extension saying she might go back to college
I have notified cms and told them all this and explained that she is now also working in primark and not planning on going back to any sort of education
To which they havnt replied
So I stopped my payments and now I have a letter saying I have to pay and now on top there charging me 20% to collect ect
This is wrong I’ve never missed a payment for her since the break
And now I’m being told I still have to pay and being charged
Heads battered with it all
My daughter turns 17 in Oct and has also left school this summer and started a college course 2 days per week.
Both courses are below A level standard.
Both are in Scotland is there a difference in the rules between Scotland and England.
Should I still be paying maintenance each month and is it the same amount or should that have changed when they left school
My partner currently pays maintenance for his 18 year old daughter, she will turn 19 in May, she has said she intends to do a catering course at college, but with her school attendance now being 50% we think it’s highly likely she will drop out or get kicked out by Christmas. At that point, does he need to continue to pay maintenance?
Unsure of what college course she will be able to study as her gcse results were not great. A levels are definitely not an option. level 1 courses maybe an option.
Thank you
My girlfriends children still live with thier dad with no access. Unfortunately the 18yr old has moved out due to unacceptable behaviour by dad. ( she is being looked after by council in a nice place) CMS seem reluctant to do anything about changing payment to dad even though she no longer lives there and it seems it’s his word against ours bizarrely. CMS are quick to get involved but as soon as it gets a bit complicated they do very little very slowly.
Thank you
My son is now doing a Btec course in sport and my ex husband is trying to claim maintenance.
Do I need to pay when I was paying for my son to go college the past year when he wasn’t even going. I was paying him £50 a week but he wasn’t going college.
His dad wasn’t hardly paying me anything and child maintenance was only getting it now and again.
So cause my 18 year old son as moved in with his dad and now doing a sports course his dad is trying to get maintenance off me. do I need to pay maintainace
Now their teen agers they expect everything for doing nothing in return and are rude generally unpleasant.
Their dad has not seen them for 9 years but their nan (his mum) has been.
Because we discipline them and won't give them everything they want for nothing they want to live with her.
Is a really long story but their nan has poisoned them against us, told lies to child services which qe've been cleared of all accusations and now they still want to leave when they're 16. Their nan live in a horrible area and my wife and I don't think they should go. Are we liable to pay CMS payments even though we won't agree to them going, we can't stop them when they're 16 but I don't see why I should pay for them when their real dad never has, where to I stand?
The 17 year old is on a college course which is apparently equivalent to A-Levels and plans to continue onto another year of this so he'll be almost 19 when completed. His mum also has had her long-term partner move into the household and he's been there for over a year now. Non-resident parent lives in Canada and would love to be able to have the children over more frequently when travel allows again, however whilst still paying maintenance this is difficult with the expense involved.
Questions are - does the non-resident parent continue paying for the 18-year old who is on a full-time college diploma course? (Working part-time also) & do payments usually change when the resident parent starts co-habiting?
my daughter is 18 in October she has complete one year of collage but dose not want to do any more she has not got a job yet . She is my last dependent child Can I stop paying child management payments as of September ( I've payed Sept )
Regards Michael
so question is ! do I still have to maintenance for her?
Boy 19
Girl 18
Boy 16
Boy 15
Many thanks
Thanks.
My husband says that as soon as our eldest reaches 18 he is going to stop paying maintenance, and on our settlement agreement it says he only has to pay until the children turn 18. However the child concerned intends to go to university - is it correct that he no longer has to provide any support to the child in that instance? I don't mind if he no longer pays the money to me, but directly to our child, but it seems wrong that he can just stop providing any support at all?
Does her father still have to pay maintenance to her mother
I hope you can help me with this
My husband has son from ex girlfriend in Latvia , we live in Ireland
he paid maintenance util child is 19,then child start feeling like he is adult now, said to father do not control his life , my husband was very upset and stopped payment, to said son , if you are adult protect your self,child is now 20 year old working and still looking for payments , send my husband to court now , we have 3 small kids not even teen, why we have to support child who now working, young man do not wont respect father , but still looking for his money , something wrong with system , I was working myself when I was 18 year old and still and study in university and didn't ask my parents for even one penny, now kids just looking for money.
Laws of now changed and said children have to stay in school until they’re 18 .
so do you pay maintenance if they’re in a special needs school so between age 16-18 6th form he won’t do higher education he can go to college and do life skills.
It’s confusing what is the legal age is it 16 or is it 18 if in school and he won’t be doing any 6th form of higher education .
can his ex mothers of his so. keep making him do courses untill he 21 to get more maintenance?
Its gray area i’m different solicitors give different advice
Laws of now changed and said children have to stay in school until they’re 18 .
so do you pay maintenance if they’re in a special needs school so between age 16-18 6th form he won’t do higher education he can go to college and do life skills.
It’s confusing what is the legal age is it 16 or is it 18 if in school and he won’t be doing any 6th form of higher education .
Also can his ex keep making him doo courses untill he 21 to get more maintenance?
Its gray area
Kevin
Are there any organisations that can cost effective support to paying parents whom are brave enough to go to tribunal. Solicitors at £300 per hour are not cost effective!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
Do I need to continue payments after 18
Thankyou
My daughter has received a student loan and looking for a job . Do I still pay child maintenance until she finishes her studies after 4 years ?
Thanks
Laurence
He is going to college to do a Electrician course, two days a week. Waiting for a official apprenticeship.
He does have a job, working for friends of his mother, for the other 3 or 4 days, earning up to £300/400 a month.
I have told his mother that I am ceasing monthly payments to her from 31/08/20, I have offered to give my son, an amount directly to his bank account each month.
Only to be told, I can’t stop paying because he is still in full time education.
I don’t know how to prove he has a job the other 3 days.
How am I supposed to resolve this problem?
I don't know if this makes any difference but he will be getting paid £50 per week and travelling expenses.
So my question is - is this classed as full time education (from a CSA / Child Maintenance Perspective) and will this mean that Child Maintenance will still need to be paid?
And is also looking for a part time job. Would I still have to pay X for him or dose it stop as it's not A level education.
how is finished college defined? Is this the september or when he has taken his last exam?
Also my ex has not provided earnings evidence since 2011 despite requests to provide. He is a police officer and I believe his salary has increased in that time and that he has earnt quite a bit in overtime. He has not paid any since 2011. How can I navigate this issue to ensure that my children receive this money? NB I work so I do not rely for this for my living costs. He and i have a written private agreement that he would pay 20% of his take home for the two children. 15% since 2018 as it reduced to just the one child.
It states that payments be made until the child reaches 16 OR 21 if in full time education.
My son lives in Ireland with his mother, and turned 21 in March 2020.
He has now decided to live and study full time back in the UK as of Sept 2020.
Has the Maintenance Order ceased?
I can’t seem to find any information to clarify this.
The courts haven’t returned any emails and his mother is demanding money.
She has decided to drop outof school to which the birth mother really clearly doesn't care. We have tried many ways to get her back into school but she does not care about her education. Does he still have to pay maintenance for his daughter ?
She is intending to continue with college after the Baby is born.
am I still liable to pay maintenance?
My son is leaving college this month and is 18 when should I stop paying maintenance for him.
Thanks in advance
My daughter is turning 20 in November, she is resisting her exams, to enable her to attend nursing school, she now wishes to attend the navy nursing program and get her degree that way.
When do I cease being legally responsible for child maintenance payments ?
On top of maintenance payments I also bought her car, pay the Insurance, maintenance and pay £100 a month for pocket money.
I am hoping November when she turns 20 is the last child support payment, child support at 20. Wow !
My son will be attending college full time
Does anyone know if I can continue to receive this maintenance payment from September onwards. Daughter will be living with me and not in residence at university /college campuss
I received a letter today from the CMS saying that my request has been rejected. Can someone please explain why this could be? I have appealed.
I pay maintenance foe my daughter, who turns 18 in August.
Her college has closed and she was due to sit her A levels, but this has been cancelled and grades are being organised by tutors.
As she has technically finished college, can I stop the maintenance payments?
Divorce was evil and I have no contact with any of the family, so I do not know if she is still 'studying' and ex will just lie to get money out of me anyway.
And also do you still have to pay if the child mother doesn’t review child benefit for the child and what age does he stop to qualify for child benefit thanks
should I still be pay maintenance?
The Court Consent Order states, child maintenance is due until the end of Uni (tertiary) education.
My ex pays my sons maintenance directly to my son, the so-called full amount.
However the Court Order states, 80% should be paid to my son and 20% to me.
A) How would I know he's paying the correct amount to my son?
B) How can I claim the 20% I should be getting?
Although our divorce was sometime ago it was extremely acrimonious and we have no contact with each other.
His declared income to CMS is a joke, he's a very wealthy - extremely successful well know fashion entrepreneur.
Any help greatly received
Should I still pay maintenance?
Haven't been back to school, nor is he working.
But he is supposed be going Tydfil training
(WORK BASED TRAINING) get paid £45 a week.
Am I still obliged to pay maintenance??
Thanks
I currently pay her mother child maintenance directly by mutual agreement. This does not involve the CSA etc.
In September my daughter plans to start University full time and to live away from home. I want to stop paying her mother and to transfer payment to my daughter instead.
Can I do this and if so when?
I keep seeing conflicting information.
Please help!
Many Thanks Molly
At the age of 17 she was taking ALevels at school and completed her first year but dropped out of the school and went to a college and started ALevels from year one again so her ALevels will not finish until June 2020 (when she is 19)
By law, do I need to make payments until she is complete the course in June 2020 or should the payments have stopped the September after her 18th?
Everything I have read points towards me no longer being obliged to pay (legally). Is this correct?
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Regards
Mark
Thanks for any help.
Many thanks
Can anyone advise when I can stop paying child support to her mum.
The mum works the minimum hours to claim all the government benefits available, ie gets the rent paid for etc etc...only has the one child and has screwed me for every penny
Thank you
Can someone please tell me if this is right
Also does the child benefit continue when a child goes for a apprenticeship
Plus if a child works weekends does the child benefit stop remembering she isn't in full time education.
Also does the child benefit stop.
Can I now stop paying child maintenance!
Now over a year later and aged 18 he has decided to go to college to redo them
His mum insists I need to start maintenance again
Is this correct?
dont talk to is we still pay maintenance? how do we fond out what she doing and do we pay maintenance if she part works and goes college?
thanks
With my son studing these courses, should i still make payment for him?
Thank you for any help.
Thanks
We are currently going through the same thing, 18 year old step daughter meant to be at college not attending and actually working, while we are still paying CSA.
Child Support Agency say they take the customer word that they are telling the truth
Child Benefit say they take the customers word they are telling the truth
Benefit Freud team say they can’t help as we don’t have enough information due to lack of communication with the daughter.
Daughter has now missed that much college she needs to resit a year which means we will be forced to pay another year, even thou we’v already paid this year when she’s not been attending.
Pointed out the case to benefit team that In theory mam has been falsely claiming CSA and falsely claiming child benefit.
Next step is citizens advise unless any one else can suggest anything.
Can’t get anywhere with university as it’s Data Protection
Complete nightmare and no support from anyone
I am still receiving cash from her father
But I also have 2 other children and the payment is all together
I know hes had a few jobs in which he is earning more but I haven't questioned the amount
He also stays with his new wife and her 2 children
And she also works
I'm my sons full time career so I dont work
Where do I stand with payments
We had our own agreement when he was only working 2 days a week which is over 2 years ago
Does her income and his income get added together and also do you think I should contact and see where I stand
I have the children 24.7 and they do not see there father
Could I get some advice plz
My 18 year old is going to flight school funded by a loan 50-50 by both parents the costs include living accommodation
Am i allowed to reduce my monthly payments as i would like to give him money directly?
2 weeks ago I received a letter from the CMS concerning a review... some 6 months after his 18th birthday.
I wrote back advising 1) my son was over 18 2) He was in the armed forces.
Today I returned home to two automated letters, the first asking for me to complete a standing order and the second asking for £24 per week upgraded to £108 per week due to “arrears” which I actually don’t have any!
How can they now ask me for funds firstly 6 months after my son turned 18 and secondly now he’s serving in the armed forces!
It appears he’s old enough to be sent overseas to do all sorts yet I’m to still pay child maintenance when he’s a fully grown man!
Talking to them is like talking to robots so please advise the correct law in this.
Also, do they need to have attended most of the course, as I also believe he bunked off the majority of this but to get the official information from the college is like getting blood from a stone.
Any ideas
But he's only going 2 days 1 hr each day
So 2 hrs a week do i still have to pay his mother this money ? And he's working 3 days a week
My payments were due to finish in 2017, but received a statement showing a further 2.7k outstanding. I questioned thus and again I was told to cease payments because the calculations were to cover him whilst he was in college (2007-2009) I know for a fact he wasn't in college or registered because he spent periods of time with me, and was indeed a source of debate as I was concerned that he had no interest in going to college. Last week (14th March 2019) CMS called me demanding money, even threatening enforcement should I not comply with either full or agreed schedule. My questions
- should I inform HMRC of fraudulent benefit claims?
- CMS have said I have to prove his non registration, is this right?
- even with the instructions CSA gave me, can the CSM be demanding in this way?
- I have also gone back over statements and payments that have been made (I can show on old bank statements) are not showing and therefore not reducing the amount. Will I get a refund?
- the case was opened in 1997, my son was born in 1991. Should there be 6 years taken into account?
This is putting yet more strain as I have a son about to start university, and another son forging a carer as a sportsman but needs our complete backing to get him there.
In all honesty, my life insurance seems to be the best option to ensure everybody gets what they want!!!
Within a week my ex partner had contacted the CMS and I got a letter, out of the blue, saying I should pay £595 a month in maintenance. A revised amount of £398 came back from the CMS after I had clarified my details but as a single mum, also raising my daughter I cannot afford to pay this... it will cripple me financially, despite my ex partner and his wife earning almost double to what i do. What are my rights here? How can this be fair? Can he legally do this to me? I am really struggling.
Even though I’ve been told my outstanding csa hasn’t been closed for what their Dad owes me they refuse to do anything about it or tie it up together when it’s the same children!
I feel like they’ll never go away! Their threats will never end, beyond hopeless and pushed to the edge
My partners ex will not confirm if their son (who was 18 in march ) is still in education she has said he is taking a course at college (not A level) but there has been some discrepancy with regards to the dates he is starting college for another term.
We have asked for proof that he is attending college and she has just ignored our requests for proof. My partner has always made his maintenance payments for the last 8 years without fail and now we are just asking for proof that his son is in education in order that she continues to receive her maintenance payments?
What are our legal rights to obtain this information if the mother will not and surely if she is still taking payments from us this is fraud?
Is apparently going to college. This as now changed to an apprenticeship with day release. How can he find out for definite what the child is doing is the mother in receipt of child benefit still. She's a scammer with kids from other dads too. There's nothing in place to help my son who as a family too. It's disgusting.
His kid is turning 18 soon & doing A levels - then off to uni next year.
We are unsure when the mintence payments get stopped.
Is when he turns 18?
When he leave school after doing his a'level?
Thanks.
My daughter is 19 and told me she was not going back to college. She has failed GCSE English for 3 years in a row. She told me she was not allowed to finish her course. She is on a 2 year level 3 Health and Social care course. She repeated the first year and led me to believe she failed again . I do not know if she did, she won't show or discuss any results with me. So I stopped my CSA payments. Then the CSA contacted me saying she is still at College. They said her mother says she is doing another year at College. I have paid up due to charges/fines etc. They said it is up to me to prove she is not in college. That I need to continue to pay. However if I over pay they will not refund me any over payment and I would need to approach my ex wife. However my daughter and ex wife won't communicate with me over the matter. I have contacted the College who will not tell me whether she is registered with them on a course due to data protection. I do not know what to do. I can't find out the truth and on the word of one woman (whom I know well when it comes to money, I overpaid for 18 months with my son. She told me I had to pay whilst he was on an apprenticeship and I believed her at the time - money is very tight for me on minimum wage and renting a room.
I’ve always Paid to her mum
Do I still have to carry on doing this
If I stopped could she get CSA
My son was 16 in April and has now decided not to do A levels In September but to do a full time vehicle technician apprenticeship, this is paid at about £166 a week. He will also spend study time at college regularly. Does his dad still have to pay maintenance for his upkeep now kids have to stay in education until 18?? Many Thanks
My daughter is 18 on Sunday and doing her 2 year of A levels. She has now got a part time job and pays my ex £80 keep a month. So now my ex is getting said amount of me and £80 of daughter, is this right?
He is coming up 18, November,& he is at college more than 12hrs a week but not leading on towards A levels.
Should I still be paying his child maintenance ?
Be in employment? Any advice how I would find this out? And if she was working when would they have to cancel the child benefit plus she is at the moment on a girly holiday which again we have to pay for! Whilst she is away we won’t get a weeks reduction off so we have to pay for an 18 and half year old that goes out drinking boyfriends etc but in the governments eyes she’s a child! Any advice more on the child benefit works would it automatically cancel end of August or does the parent with care have to ring them and cancel? We have spoken to the csa and they said she may cancel child benefit by end of august? Thanks
She has just left school and she has been working in a hairdressers and in school holidays
She has decided to go to college part time and has a part time
Does maintenance still have to be paid
My son is 17 . He has left school and working . Do I have to pay maintenance until 31st August?
I've been paying maintenance for about 8 years. The payments have stopped due to my son (aged 17) as he quit college and got a full time job. He has now applied and got on a Btec course for September, so should I start to pay maintenance again once he start the course?
Many Thanks.
If he stayed on for a further 3 years at college would I still have too pay child maintenance. Up too the age of 21.
Many thanks in advance for any advice
My daughters decided to leave my home and me to find a life with the father that deserted them 16 years ago and never paid a penny of maintenance the entire time i had them. The thing is he has not even taken them himself but made them live with a distant family member of mine. They choose to not have anything to do with me now. No contact what-so-ever.
The younger has just turned 16 and finished high school, she is apparently working part-time. She will not be attending further education.
I pay this family member money every month( Besides the fact that everything was signed over ie child benefit etc , when they left) It was set as a personal agreement from my part -but its been 2 years now
If she is no longer in school (and Working)
Do i still have to pay ????besides the hurtful fact they they want nothing to do with me but are happy to take my money.
would like to know where i stand.
Any form of help and advice would be appreciated.
Regards
Jason
Thanks in advance
B
Any guidance would be appreciated
Andrew
Thank you
I have heard it may go until August but Schools don’t break up until July and the child dropping off at school before end of May since a bit of a long way to believe it should be paid until August.
Please let me know.
Thanks!
I have been separated from my ex partner and two children 16 and 18, for 13 years.
I still have regular contact with our children and have always paid maintenance.
My 18 year old son started college last year but dropped out recently.
He has been troubled for several years, been statemented and for the last 9 months, no longer lives with his mother.
My son struggled to get on with his mother at home and did not want to live with me.
After an incident at mum's he ended up in sheltered housing and is now unemployed. He is registered unable to work through stress and as far as I am aware, he gets housing allowance and PIP.
I still see my son and as I always have throughout his life, still support him with transport, money, advice and now with help seeking work or training.
I do not want to speak to mum about ending his regular maintenance payments until I understand the law on this.
I would now prefer to use the monthly maintenance money to choose how I can preferably help my son directly.
w
As my ex-partner is the main day to day to carer for the children, what happens if one of the children is off sick from school? Does this mean that she has to take time off for the day? She has asked me to give her more money if the children are off sick but I already pay her that amount each month for her to budget and do with as she see's fit or that I take the time off unpaid to look after the child/children so she can still go to work and earn so she doesn't lose money.
Any advice please?? I have told her I cannot give her any more money than she is entitled to and I will try and support with family members to see if they can look after the child at all if this occurs but she feels this is not suitable and only money to make up for her loss of earnings will suffice, However, I explained that when she decided to leave me that I cannot support in that way anymore but will do everything else I can.....help please!
Do I still continue payments till he finishes a second year at college
Do I have to still pay maintenance to his mother,he is 18.....19 in January.....and finishes college in June.....starts uni Thursday only in Sept hence the buisness set up to help him thro.also works sat at a local store?
Please could you help as I cannot afford both as half of the monthly cost to the college is over £300 (my part) I have my daughter every other weekend and half the school holidays as in a court order. Also every other Tuesday she stays with me.
Thank you for your help.
Paul
The old Csa ended my arrangement in January..His Mother has just approached me saying we need to sort out Csa , can she start a new case against me as hes now 18 ?
Hes going into advanced education after the summer holidays so i wont have to pay then anyway.
She has plenty of money now and is just looking to make things uncomfortable for me.
He has being paying maintenance through a mutual agreement with his ex not through CSA
I got a divorce not long after, which my (ex)wife refused to even acknowledge the paperwork for. Since then I have had some sporadic contact with my daughter and ex-wife, all by Internet chat through Facebook, and some emails with my ex-wife. However, this quickly dried up and the last time I had any contact was over a year ago.
I found new employment in 2015, so I am able to take care of our daughter here again. During the time since our 2011 agreement, my ex-wife has said on a few occasions that she would send our daughter back, but each time coming up with some excuse not to go ahead with it. The last time this happened was June 2017.
However, now I have received another claim for maintenance, which was initiated on 31st August 2017, two months after last contact.
So (finally) to my questions.
As the original maintenance order was quashed due to our daughters abduction, is my ex-wife allowed to make a second, new claim, considering she has not returned our daughter to the UK as per the Mexican court order and our 2011 agreement?
My ex-wife committed a criminal offence by illegally removing our daughter without my permission in 2008, so even without a Hague case in my favour, would she be entitled to maintenance payments from me, even though I have tried to get our daughter back several times since?
In the new maintenance order, my ex-wife is demanding £875 a month. I only take home about £1180, so how much would she really get? I've looked at an online calculator and that said about £37 per week. Is that correct?
Will I have to pay, even though my ex-wife has made promises to send our daughter back, but then changed her mind, and also stopped contact?
I'm sorry for the 'wall of text' but I felt it important to give you the details, so you can advise me as best you can. I'll be going to the Citizens Advice Bureau for further assistance too, but I'd appreciate your views as well.
Jay.
My wife abducted our daughter to Mexico in May 2008. I immediately made a Hague case for her return, which was granted to me by a court in Mexico in August 2008. The court ordered our daughter be returned to me in the UK, but my wife went into hiding and refused to comply with the court judgement. In February 2009 I received a notice to pay child maintenance, for which I sought legal advice. I wrote to the court explaining the situation and requesting the maintenance application be quashed. I heard nothing more about it after that, so I assume it was quashed.
In April 2009 I suffered a stroke which has left me partially sighted. Over the next couple of years my life got quite bad with the stress of having little contact with my daughter, the case having zero results (Mexico is REALLY bad!), and my recovery from the stroke. I lost my job because of my sight and was on benefits for several years.
During 2011, my wife and I were getting on a lot more amicably. In August 2011 she agreed to bring our daughter back to the UK and preparations were made. I (foolishly) was led to believe that, as we had agreed to their return, that we needed to stop all legal proceedings (in the UK and in Mexico), which would allow them to travel freely back to the UK. As I had no work, I had only a little money, but as long as I didn't need more benefits to support them, it would be fine.
Unfortunately, I had more medical problems, and one of my benefits was reduced. I was in a dark place and felt I had no option but to say they could stay for the time being. I felt I had no way to support them here, and my medical problems were not going to go away. It was then that I felt I had no option but to abandon the Hague case. In hindsight this was the wrong thing to do, but something I have to live with now, as I was told I can not make a another case. In my defence, I wasn't really in a fit state to make any decisions then.
I did send some money (most of my savings at the time, about £1000) for our daughters schooling, clothes, food, etc. However, I was furious to discover that my wife had not used the money for anything that it was intended for. Instead she had spent all of it on buying a car, which promptly broke down. She then started demanding a lot of money to repair it, AND for those things the original money was for. Of course, I only had her word for this.
Obviously things went from bad to worse after that. She was spending more money on herself, rather than our daughter, demanding more and more money, and contact became less and less, until it was practically non-existent. I ended up stopping sending any money because I had little contact, no control over when that contact happened, and no money as I was on benefits.
I got a divorce not long after, which my (ex)wife refused to even acknowledge the paperwork for. Sin
I wonder if anyone can help. I have 2 children with my ex wife and I have been paying her 18% of my net salary directly as an informal arrangement since we split. My eldest finishes his A levels in June and I have told my ex that I intend to reduce my maintenance to 9% of my cleared salary from July onwards. She has come back to me saying that I should pay 12% as that is the correct amount of maintenance for 1 child. I think this is wrong. Can anyone tell me who is right?
My daughter is 17 completing a 3 year travel and tourism course at college, she is also working up to 20 hours a week.her my mother and myself have a monthly agreement.
Do I still have to make payments as my daughter also stays with us for 4 days every other week.
Could you please advise
Many thanks
My son turned 18 recently
He says he goes to college just doing 1 course about 3 days a week.
But he never goes and he has been kicked off his past 2 courses .
So he is showing as going to college even though he never goes.
Where do i stand on stopping payments now ?
Thank you in advance for any guidance you may be able to provide.
She clearly has no other means of support at the moment, so as a father you may want to continue paying...we don't know enough about your/her situation to be able to tell you any different. Perhaps you could talk to you daughter about this and find out what income she has and where from. If Child Benefit is still being paid then you will be expected to continue paying child maintenance.
Do I still have to pay child maintenance for her even though she is no longer attending college and her father is no longer entitled to child benefit for her.
He had an work related accident and was paid work related compensation and is registered disabled and had the disability badge for his car. He still works full time in the police.
In court his barrister claimed that he only has to pay £7 per child by law. He has our 2 sons living with him 17 and 14. I have the 2 girls living at mine 11 & 7. He agreed in court to pay £15 pw per child. £120 per month. He took me to court for maintenance and I earn £192 pw and have been asked to pay £22 pw. Which is based on income.
My question and concern is this. If i ask CSA to recalculate his income if he uses his disability and they uphold it I will still be paying my £22.00 pw and losing money from his agreement to pay £15 reducing to £7. I cannot afford the loss of payment.
Please can you give me advice. I'm at my wits end.
2. Do I pay her half the £340 for my daughter & then apply to CSA for payment for my son because he is now living with me.
I am not bothered about any back payments I just want to know were I stand legally and above all do the right thing. Please can you help
My son is 19 , I have no contact with him or my ex apart from paying maintenace.
I have since found out that he has moved out of her house and is living in a flat.
I have been paying the ex the amount specified by the CSA/CSM by bank transfer.
As he has moved out should I still be paying ?
I cannot get confirmation that he is at college or in part time or full time employment apart from going over there and spying !
Is there anything I can do ?
Thankyou
The courts tried to locate my child however were unsuccessful. They close the case to which I have paid for the last 27 months in excess of £250 per month.
I seemed some some legal advice and on the back end of that advice I wanted a 2nd opinion.
I was told at a hearing within a solicitors office that I have tried to track my child down and where we have been unsuccessful I should approach the Csa / CMS to notify them of the mothers abaconding, taking my child. They should pause or stop all payments unroll further notice. I have provided the relevant court document to prove the above however they have basically said that I am to still pay for my child?
Someone please assure me or go e me some advice to help assist my case. Surely i should not have to pay or should at least stop paying till the mother decides to notify of my child sure abouts (So that I can take her back to court for breaking the access agreement)
I've seen some conflicting information on the internet regarding payments or cessation of, with regard to the ex starting to cohabitate with her new partner - she is looking to buy a house - what are the legalities of this situation if he is, in effect living with my ex, and my child full time?
Kind regards
James
The court ordered maintenence covered kids until finished university/ end of first degree / CMS do not cover degrees so essentially my kids have lost around £60k in court ordered parental support ... Is there anything they can do ?
Ex earns under £3k a week the level the government says CMS should deal with and likewise children's act cases say CMS should deal with it if earns under £3k a week, so I could go to court and theyd throw back to CMS anyway on basis his income is under £3k a week ?
What I do not understand is CMS do not deal with uni payments at all and dont deal with medical i syrance payemnts and other things cohrt order did so how can they nulify those parts ?
As my child has been in university since last year and I have been making payments through the csa am I entitled to this back?
1. My 17 year old step son has been on an apprenticeship ever since leaving school. Over a year now. He goes to college 1 day a week from 8am - 5pm (9hours) but then goes to work for four days and is getting paid well over £100 a week, some weeks he gets just over £200 a week . Does my partner still have to pay maintenance to his ex ?
2. My stepson (same as mentioned above) even though he's 17 he's been staying at his girlfriends now at her parents home for over a month , so in my eyes I see it that he's not at home when maintenance is still be paid to his mother .
Can maintenance be stopped for both what I've mentioned or for one or the other
Please let me know as I have messaged before but no advice was given
Many thanks
Thanks kev
Kind regards
Darren
The oldest child is 24 years old, 25 in January and allegedly taking a University course in Physiotherapy albeit I have not been furnished with the start and end dates of this course.
The middle daughter is 23 years old and is now living in the UK and I have recently found out she is in the taking a hairdressing apprenticeship at a top hair salon in London.
The youngest who is 22 is allegedly in secondary education in Portugal, (dont ask) and lives with her boyfriend.
About 3 years ago my ex obtained an attachment to earnings order and I pay £830 per month. The district judge stated that I pay until they obtain their first degree is this right and what are my next steps. My Ex still lives in Portugal
She is at 6th and will finish in May
She is going to apply for uni
She may have to do an additional access course
I currently pay her mother on a monthly basis by mutual consent.
what happens after her birthday or in May 2018
-stay in full-time education, for example at a college
-start an apprenticeship or traineeship
-spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training
You should continue paying maintenance while your daughter is still in education for more than 12 hours per week up to A level or equivalent standard.
my daughter is 16 in July 2018 and leaves school in 2018 she says by law she has to carry on in full time education upto the age of 18 and cant just l;eave school, and i have to keep paying for child maintenance - is this correct or can i stop paying when she is 16
thanks
I have two children with my ex. One 15 who still lives with his mother and one who is almost 17 who has recently moved out of his mothers house to live at his Grandparents.
I offered to pay her half of what I was paying when they were both living with her, and half to the grandparents. She says legally I have to pay her for my 15 year old as a separate issue now, and payments for our 17 year old be worked out between us and the grandparents. I have searched the internet high and low for the answer, but am still no closer to finding an answer. Any idea ?
My step daughter left 6th form after doing Alevels at 18 and went to college to redo a level 3 education course. She will be 20 in October my partner was told although she has redone level 3 education course he still needs to pay as her mom still gets child benefit for her. Csa won't check that she as already done a level 3 course ? My partner told to pay till September is this right ?
Thanks
Please can I have a reply to my email?
When I questioned her she quickly changed her story
Is there anyway I can find out how many hours she will be attending college
Many thanks
I phoned to tell them in may that he was leaving but had 2 further payments.
. Phoned again yesterday and have been told I may have been overpaid child maintenance since he was 16 (now 19)
I didn't bother to fill the child benefit form when he was 16 as I didn't want to get it whilst he was in college due to being a higher tax payer.
Will I have to repay from when he was 16 or just the 2 payments I had since he left college?
if its part of the degree I`ll stop paying maintenance and have the money ready for her emergencies as and when they arise :-)
I've rung CSA but they're very vague. I've no problem supporting my children as I am that way inclined BUT I do not want their mother to milk me or deceive me any further & the system too. I need to know when and how it will cease please please
Thanks .
Thanks
Do we :-
a) need to continue to pay any maintenance
b) need to inform anyone that we are ceasing payments
c) need to continue paying until September, or can we stop in the month she starts earning?
Thank you. I thought it was simple but some things seem contradictory....e.g. Whether mum will continue claiming child benefit. The answer is ...we don't know. And money stopping in September or when she starts work?
I am paying maintainance
I know that it stops where children reach no schooling age
But what if mother has come into a substantial inheritance that make her financially secure
Plus is still claiming child tax credits
the guide lines on this are not very clear.
many thanks
One 8 hour day at tech. She often fails to attend college. We are wanting to stop her maintenance
But her mother claims we have to keep paying as she still gets child tax credits. My understanding is that we can now stop paying the mother. Does anyone know please?
Thanks in advance
I pay tax on it
Does x partner pay tax on it
As it is tax ferr
Many thanks
Now do I have to start paying again ,and he is also working in a chippy cash in hand
My eldest is at college, studying a btec course not sure how many hours she attends at the moment. She also has a part time job. When can I stop paying her mum? Or do I continue until the youngest daughter finishes full time education.
Regards
Ian Creasey
We now have twins about to turn 4 where do we stand and what should we be doing?
Thanks
He has now technically left school but has told his Dad that's he's being home schooled by his Mum. He's not at 6th form or any other college, nor is he on an apprenticeship.
My question is this..... Is home schooling from the age of 17 to 18 an approved form of further education that would require my partner to carry on paying maintenance, currently arranged via the CSA?
She has now started 3 A levels therefore in advanced education.
My question is .......... she is doing three A levels at college but each class is 3 hours 30 minutes per week so she is only doing 10 hours 30 minutes per week so less than the requirement of 12 hours as set out by the government.
Should I still be paying maintenance? I have asked the CSA and they said as she is doing A levels then yes but is this right as in theory she is only in part time education.
The CSA have always refused to provide any information about my son's college course and will only confirm that he is still in further education (by asking his mother - who doesn't give me any information at all)
What (if any) rights do I have to receive information about son's progress or, in fact, whether he's even still at college?
I also have a 21year-old daughter in her 3rd year at uni but have never received a shread of info about her progress or even what she is studies - do I have any rights here?
The CSA, as was, stated that payments would only alter if the mother contacted them regarding the child's educational situation, etc. although we know the elder child has been working full-time since the age of 16.
When do CSA payments stop and where do we stand? Is it right that only the mother can confirm work/ educational details?
Also, how might it change once the child is 19 now the CSA isn't involved in payments?
Within our signed minute of agreement it states that he shall continue to pay maintenance while the children remain in any form of full time education & further education to train for a vocation etc.
My ex is proposing no further payments for the 2 older and only paying for the youngest until the end of the final school year next year. He was also supposed to increase his monthly payments annually however since 2005 the payments have never increased. Please can you advise. Many thanks.
We are now into July and my partner was told that his son is now going to start a training course. Does he still need to pay even though his son stopped going to school, did not go into any further education and been unemployed since January. Thankyou.
And feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I no they could not live with me in these circumstances... Her own mother tells me I could live there with the children if needed ... We're do I stand with all this ... I don't want to risk my children been dragged threw the courts in a war or been taken in to care if they find she is unsuitable ... And think my accommodation ain't big enough right now !!! At help is there for fathers who want there children to be happy do I need to find evidence recording situations ,, witnesses to help ,, I'm lost in all this and constantly hear a million different things ... Wat help is there out there and could my children be taken from such a loving family threw one person there mom!
Do I still need to pay him when it becomes 50/50 as she'll be doing A Levels in September.
Can I stop paying my ex? My 16 yr old will be studying for A Levels in Sept..
My son was 18 in March this year. I have had no contact me 15 years ( not through choice) I am unsure what he has been doing, I'm pretty sure he has just finished his A levels and will be going to university. When can I stop paying maintenance? I know that child benefit is in place until September 04th 2016. But it does state that this date may change? If he does go to university is that classed as Advanced Education? It's not that have ever begrudged paying but I do want it stop when it should!
Is it within our rights to stop maintenance (private agreement for 14 years) in June or do we legally have to continue? He also works part time 16 hours + a week.
Appreciate a swift response. Thanks
My son turns 18 next month,(May).I have been paying maintanence to his mother by direct bank transfer for the past 6 years.The CSA have never been involved.He is studying A-levels at sixth form college.When he left school she told me that he is continuing his education and that I am to pay his maintanence until he is 19. I don't even see him.His choice,not mine.I have heard different ages to pay,like 18,19.I would just like to know if if it is 18 or 19 when I am allowed to stop the payments.I live alone and this is a significant amount out of my weekly income.
You need to continue paying until the end of the August when he completes his A levels. So if he had a year out or had to re-sit a year, yes you will need to continue paying until the August after he's 19. If he completes his A levels this year, then you can stop payments on 31st August 2016.
1) Does full time education mean university?
2) When she goes to university ( assuming the consent order applies)can I pay her directly rather than the mum.
The relationship with the mum is poor so no option of a friendly discussion to resolve.
Thanks
I don't even see him.His choice,not mine.I have heard different ages to pay,like 18,19.I would just like to know if if it is 18 or 19 when I am allowed to stop the payments.I live alone and this is a significant amount out of my weekly income.
Many thanks in advance.
since finding out I had a daughter 2 years ago (now just turned 19) I went through the motoins to prove the usual. The mother and I agreed an amount of £200. But since last year in January my daughter moved out of her mothers and got a residency at a private/council run property. She claims through the system, to which it is directly paid to the company that provides flat/property. She is at college and does the 12 hours+ a week.
My question is, as she is now independent and claiming certain benefits, do I still have to pay the maintenance???
Can i still get maintenance for her whils she still lives with me ???
is under the age of 20 and child benefit is being paid for them. Access courses are usually equivalent to A' levels which would be considered full time non-advanced education.
Many thanks Red
I am attempting to figure out when i stop paying CSA, Here is the situation.
My Daughter has turned 18 and has recently finished college, she is going to Uni in september. She moves out of her mothers out into her own house in 3 weeks with her BF which she has been provided by the council as she is a parent, she has a 2 year old.
As she is now 18 and moving out i assume her mother can no longer claim benefits for her. Am i liable to pay CSA to the mother or my daughter? (i have a private arrangement with the mother at present)
I will be giving my daughter some money anyways to help with the new house, i want to know if the eyes of the law do i have to?
Thanks in advance
Also, she has been diagnosed with ADHD and her mother is claiming DLA as a result. Does this affect the amount of support my husband has to pay in anyway?
The issue I have is that I cannot afford the £100 to £130 every four weeks. I had existing loans, mortgage etc that I have to pay and this is not realistic. They state I have to use my (once gained) child benefit for the contact.
Is this legal? is there a level of income that they have to allow you to have before they can take the money? I do not have enough left to pay all the bills literally.
Your help is appreciated.
So i am not allowed talk to my kids . My husband teaching Mum does not exist in our family.
After more than a year working, my daughter has now decided to return to Uni and train as a Primary School teacher; she is now 23.
I have refused to pay her any further maintenance, but I am now getting letters from a solicitor she has engaged, threatening court action, unless I resume payments. This cannot be enforceable surely?
My daughter left school at 16 and went into further education. She will be eighteen on her next birthday. I have always paid maintenance since me and my daughters mum separated.
I have now just found out my daughter has been told not to return to college because of poor attendance. What happens with my payments now how does it work.
She is now 18 and at uni . But he has now stopped paying for her im really struggling with short falls on accommodate and sending her cash every week i have two small children to feed to feed and working two jobs.
Can i take him to the csa ?
If I don't get help am afraid she will have to come home !
Would the CSA take into account the non resident parent change in family circumstances I.e that his new partner (and mother of his other two children that he lives with), is on statutory maternity pay, hence a big reduction in family income at the moment?
Also, should the non resident parent be deducting student loan payments for the calculation to his ex? This is student loans that he used to support his ex and son while he was resident with them.
It seems the non-resident parents new family is being unfairly penalised and having to struggle to provide his old family with more than adequate needs.
(This question is in relation to my partner who pays maintenance through a mutual agreement with his ex for their son. My partner is now living with me and we have two children together. I have no problem with my partner paying maintenance, yet I feel the system does not take enough into account for the basic csa calculator I have found online).
I look forward to hearing your response on this.
Thanks
V
Just a quick question, I pay maintenance every week for my son private agreement without CSA involved, now the ex is demanding more and more every few months,
I just signed my half o the house over to her (basically gave her 40k) just to keep a roof over my sons head , were I could have been funny and made her sell etc.
my point is if I went through the CSA would they take the above into consideration when looking at maintenance payments, ?
we pay for my two stepkids which we do out of love and care,
his daughter is 16 and does a PT college couse and works PT too, do we still have to pay for her?
his son is 18 and just restarted 6th form do we pay till he is 20?
kind regards
Not to me but to her to help with her living cost ?
I was so enraged with their attitude, they are the one's who are in control of taking my money and at no time in 5 years have they even mentioned that there was a shortfall each week.
They set the payment figure not I. They now expect me to carry on paying until any arrears are paid. I informed them of all pay rises that I have received and still I get stung so wrong and unfair but that's what this agency seems about.
I am considering paying it just to get them out of my life but I would sooner pay the £1000 to a charity other than this shower as I just don't know where it will end up.
Question; How can I fight this unfair extra payment? Is there any legal action I can take? I am so pi**** off .It is not the money just the system that is so wrong.
Regards Ufoxed
My friend is about to start paying maintainance after recently separating from his wife, he has 2 children still at home (twins aged 17) one is in full time education (college) the other has dropped out of college and works part time earning in excess of £350 a month .. Their mother is earning 40k a year and wants maintainance for both the children.. He has no quarms about providing for both of them but would like to know how long he should be paying for them. Also his ex has asked for a lump sum covering the ammount he would owe till they are 18.. ( as she says she does not trust him to pay.. The real reason being that she's in debt and needs the money to pay off her foreign holidays debt) Then pay monthly after that .. Please can you advise .. THANKYOU
my teenage child lives with their mum and we have an private agreement for maintenance. I live a long way from them... It looks like our child is going to move in with another family member. According to their mum, I know longer need to pay maintenance. Is this right? I am sure I am still legally responsible...
Many thanks
now Q is do my partner has to pay his ex if his daughter ll pay on her own kid? We know that money will be spent on drugs party and alkohol
I know that the normal rule is to pay until he is 19 in this situation.My question is,do I still have to maintenance for a 17 year old who wants nothing to do with me,even though I have tried my best to keep in contact until he is 19?
If my step-son moves out of the house he currently lives in with his mother and moves into his girlfriend's parents (they are expecting a child in September), do we still need to pay maintenance to his mother for him? He is currently in college, three days a week, but has applied for an apprentiship. So my questions are:
1 - if he goes onto an apprentiship is this classed as working and therefore we do not have to pay maintenance regardless of where he lives?
2 - if he stays at college and moves into his girlfriend's parents house with the baby - do we still have to pay maintenance to his mother for him, when he is no longer living at home?
3 - If he and his girlfriend were to move in with us and he continued going to college, and his sister is still at home with his mother, do we still have to pay maintenance for his sister, when we have him at home with us? I.e. each parent has one child.
Thanks.
My daughter turned 18 back in March, she has been at college on a learning support course to help her with life skills as she struggled at school this course ended today, she also use to get a bursery from the college, i was quite happy paying upto she turned 18 and expected to stop paying at her 18th birthday but her mother wants payments continued until september, am i obliged to pay upto september or can i stop now and start putting it in an accounts for my daughter and not her mother
Also, if it is the case that she has "dropped out" are we then entitled to claim back what we have paid since she left college?
Where do we stand ?
Today the CSA have rang as he has said she live with him permanent , which is news to me . The payments have now been suspended until it is sorted out . I have been told by the Csa that if she did move out a few weeks ago I will have to pay back the money . I have asked her twice but she insisted she doesn't no what she is doing yet .
I told them she has stated due to falling out but she has not said she is not comeing home .
I also have a 2 yr old son and daughter 6 who is registered disabled and my husband is also registered disabled . I am there full time carers .
If she does not come home will I have to pay CSA to my ex , I have Heard I won't need to as I am the full time carer of my daughter and husband and I am not working and I get income support and carers slowence .
Please can you help put my mind at ease .
Thank you .
The CSA called me yesterday to inform me that when I leave the UK, they can no longer collect the payments.
The 14 year old child is coming with us to Qatar and the 16 year old will remain in the UK at a boarding school that she has opted to go to and my husband will be financing that.
My ex husband told me yesterday that he would no longer be paying any maintenance to me as he didn't have to. He claimed he would put the money aside and if they needed anything he would help them. I posed the question that after March he should then be paying fro her swimming fees and mobile phone contract etc. as he would not be paying me any maintenance to which he has refused.
Can I be deemed a UK resident if I return to the UK for so many days per year and am still paying tax on the UK and continue to voluntarily pay Ni contributions is that a way that the CSA could still collect payments for me?
Is there any way I can continue to receive the maintenance either through the CSA or court? I would have to represent myself at court as I believe it would be too costly. Can the 16 year old who will be resident in the UK ( (The court previously awarded me residency many years ago) can she claim maintenance payments herself through the CSA?
There is also a court order in place and my ex husband said he would only agree to the 14 year old going to Qatar if I agree to pay for 3 trips back to the UK per year for her... and he won't pay any maintenance! Any help would really be appreciated.
Thank you
The question was simple - Do you have to pay if your son/daughter no longer lives with the residential parent?
I need advice regarding my 20 year old and 18 year old daughters,
The Tertiary education seems to be a bit of a grey area,
Eldest daughter is currently at university doing a Masters degree, do I still have to carry on paying monthly maintenence ? As I have been paying maintenence for over 10 years
18 year old daughter is currently doing her English Degree at Uni .
Any advice you could give me would be hugely appreciated
Regards
I have received £225 maintaince for my child by way of a private maintaince agreement for the last 8 almost 9 years, it goes up slightly when he gets a rise. Dad is asking for mediation as he wants to take him away on holiday and I've said no. I can't afford mediation so I want to go through the CMS for more money so I can pay for the mediation. Will I be allowed to even though he's never missed a payment?
My daughter is 17 yrs old, living away from home and studying a full time foundation course. My husband and I are separated. We are currently splitting the cost of her upkeep. Am I entitled to claim official maintenance payments from him for our daughter? There are extra costs involved for her that I am finding I have to pay alone.
Will I still have to pay my ex maintenance?
Thanks
My stepson is 19 (20 in October) and has been at college since leaving school. My husband has always paid maintenance (not arranged through CSA) and we understand it can stop soon.
For the last year he has also been working for a fast food chain and is due to leave college in mid June and is not looking at further education. He has told us he will be working full time at the fast food chain, full time, until he can obtain an apprenticeship.
We have no idea if his mother is still receiving child benefit or if she knows when it will be stopping and says its none of our business. We cannot check this with the relevant office as they state it is private information.
Can anyone advise when we can stop paying the maintenance to the ex-wife
Many Thanks
My daughter doesnt live with me but I am in contact with her, my question is, do i have a legal obligation to pay maintenance anymore and if i stop will it be referred to the CSA?, if i do have to pay, how long do i legally have to pay?
many thanks, over this stressful time
thanks in advance
he has an 18 yr old who is going to uni (living in) in september and a 20 yr old who is has just finished his 2nd yr.
i have an 18 yr old and have had no support since last july - she is also gonig to uni in september.
i had been previously advised that by paying at that level the court would possibly see it as sustainable and she could have a case for spousal maintenance.
we went to see a solicitor yesterday and he was mainly interested in assests and looking at ways of a clean break/consent order.
he didnt seem interested in the monthly support and certainly didnt advise it be stopped in fact he looked briefly at my partners income his wifes income and made an approximation of her cost of living. He advised to pay between £400 and £550/month and was very vague about any sort of end date for this.
could this be that he needs to support her as she hasnt moved a new partner in?
I asked him specifically if he needs to continue to support 2 children who are in uni and he said yes.
is this correct as the advice is going to cost us £300?
also am i then entitled to support for my daughter?
All suggestions would be gratefully received as we are now desperate & can't continue paying the £240 a month when we have 4 young children who are having to go without!!
Should we simply cancel the direct debit to the CSA ?
Thanks
Billy
His daughter wont allow him to see her tutor.
What rights has he to ask the college tutor direct about attendance?
Sincerely, Alie
Firstly, does he have to pay maintainacne as her studies are not A levels although the course is designed for those who wish to apply for university?
Secondly, she has gained permission from her tutors not to actually attend college but study from home. This is beacuse of her having difficulties with some of her class members. The problem that we have with this is that she now has a part time job and is almost working full time hours. Coupled with not attending college she now has a large disposable income and should we feel contribute towards her own maintainance.
Thirdly, my other step daughter who is sixteen and still in education will be going to college to study hairdressing in Sept. As this is not a course designed for her to go to university will my partner still have to pay towards her maintainance?
This sounds like we dont wish to pay any monies at all, this is not the case. The childrens mother gets a total of £400 per month and we still provide the children with many of the essentail items they need. We just want this to be fairer.
Also when leaving signed the house over to her for my son to live she sold the house before he finished school making a massive profit, she has had money in my eyes to pay for my son hoildays five times a year. Does this matter?
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