What is child maintenance?
All parents have a responsibility to provide financially for their child even if they live apart from the child and the other parent.
- Child maintenance is regular reliable financial support that helps towards the child’s everyday living costs.
- The parent who is not the child’s main day-to-day carer pays child maintenance to the parent who is the main carer.
- You should do everything you can to make sure your child is covered by an effective maintenance arrangement.
- It may be one that you agree yourselves (private agreement), or one you arrange with help from the statutory maintenance service operated by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division.
Child maintenance can make a significant difference to a child’s wellbeing and the quality of family relationships. A parent who does not live with their child still has a financial responsibility for the child.
If you need help reaching a figure for a private agreement, we can give you an estimate over the phone which you can use as a starting point for discussions with the other parent or you can use our online calculator. |
