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Whether you are paying child maintenance direct to the parent with care or paying through us, it’s up to you and the other parent to decide how often to pay your child maintenance. In general, most parents agree to make payments either
- every week - 52 payments a year
- every fortnight - 26 payments a year
- every four weeks - 13 payments a year
- every month - 12 payments a year.
We will send you a collection schedule that will show you when you must make these payments.
A non-resident parent may want to start paying child maintenance as soon as possible to support the children and to avoid arrears of child maintenance from building up, by making voluntary payment.How do I pay child maintenance?
There are lots of different ways you can arrange to pay child maintenance.
You can pay by
- direct debit to the CMED
- standing order, or
- your employer taking your child maintenance payment direct from your earnings.
Clearing Debt
If you want to clear any outstanding debt, you can call 0845 608 0022 and pay using a credit or debit card.
What happens if I want to pay by direct debit or standing order?
Paying child maintenance by direct debit or standing order is a quick and convenient way of making a payment. You can make a standing order from your bank, building society or Post Office account directly into the account of the parent with care if they agree. If the parent with care is on benefits, we also have to agree that payments can be made direct.
Or, you can make a direct debit or standing order to us. Where appropriate, we will then transfer the payment to the parent with care’s bank, building society or Post Office account. We aim to transfer child maintenance within one week of receiving it.
If you want to pay by direct debit or standing order, you will need to fill in some forms, which we can send you.
What happens if I want to pay direct from my earnings?
Paying your child maintenance direct from your earnings is an easy way to arrange payment, and can help you manage your finances. This is because your child maintenance is taken from your earnings before you receive them. So whatever you get as take-home pay, you don’t have to pay child maintenance from it. If your employer agrees, you can pay child maintenance in this way through a voluntary deduction from earnings arrangement.
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