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Child Maintenance is an amount of money that non resident parents pay regularly as a contribution to the financial support of their children.
What is Child Maintenance?Child maintenance is paid for children who live away from one or both of their parents. It is an amount of money paid regularly by the non-resident parent for the child.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division (CMED) calculates and collects child maintenance for parents with care and children who normally live in the United Kingdom. It can also arrange child maintenance for some non-resident parents who live abroad. The person with care usually applies for child maintenance from the non-resident parent.
Who can apply for child maintenance in Northern Ireland?The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division will usually only work out and collect child maintenance if someone applies for it. The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division can accept applications from parents with care, non-resident parents and other people caring for qualifying children if all the people involved live in the UK. Special rules apply if:
- the parent with care is on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance;
- there are already maintenance arrangements for the qualifying child; or
- the non-resident parent lives abroad.
How do parents with care on benefit apply?New parents with care applying for Income Support or Income-based benefits with the Social Security Agency are no longer compelled to use the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division's statutory maintenance service to set up their child maintenance arrangements. For the first time they are able to choose whether to use the statutory maintenance service or make their own private arrangements.
From 27/10/08 existing customers who are parents with care in receipt of Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance can choose to leave the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division and make their own arrangements for Child Maintenance with the other parent of their child(ren). If you would like further information on your choices for arranging child maintenance you may wish to contact the Information and Support Service. This new service has been set up to support parents in setting up the most effective maintenance for them.
How is the amount of child maintenance worked out?The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division will work out the amount of child maintenance, using the net income of the non-resident parent. Net income is gross pay minus deductions for tax, National Insurance and contributions to a pension scheme. It will do this using information supplied by the non-resident parent and may also use information from others including the person with care or the non-resident parent's employer.
The amount of child maintenance depends on:
- the number of qualifying children the child maintenance is for;
- the non-resident parent's net income and circumstances; and
- the number of children living with the non-resident parent (we call these children 'relevant other children').
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division generally works out the child maintenance using the income (earnings) of the non-resident parent. In most cases it uses the basic rate. However, for non-resident parents who do not earn very much, or who are in receipt of certain benefits, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division will use a reduced rate or a flat rate.
For more information on how we work out child maintenance and for details of our four rates:
Read How is child maintenance worked out?
What is the child maintenance disregard?The child maintenance disregard allows a person, who is a parent with a responsibility of care and is on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, to keep up to £20 per week of any maintenance paid. If maintenance payments are less than £20 a week, a person with care keeps all of the maintenance paid.
IIf the person with care receives maintenance direct from the non-resident parent, they must tell the Social Security Agency that payments are received. The Social Security Agency will work out how much Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance the person with care is entitled to, ignoring up to £20 a week of the child maintenance which they get from the non-resident parent.
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division ServicesThe Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division provides a calculation service and a collection service. It collects child maintenance if the person with care is on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or if either parent asks it to. If non-resident parents get behind with payments, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division will try to make sure that they pay all the child maintenance they owe.
Confidentiality
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division has strict confidentiality rules and will only disclose information in circumstances prescribed by legislation.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division administers 2 schemes, if your enquiry is about Child Maintenance in Northern Ireland the number is:
0845 713 9896 (for old scheme cases)
0845 608 0022 (for current scheme cases)
0845 713 9704 (Northern Ireland minicom)
(Lines are open from 08.00 until 20.00 from Monday to Friday and from 09.00 to 17.00 on Saturdays)
If your enquiry is about Child Maintenance for Eastern Business Unit the number is:
0845 713 2000 (for old scheme cases)
0845 609 0092 (for current scheme cases)
0845 713 2243 (Eastern Business Unit minicom)
Division leaflets are available in a range of minority languages on request. Audio tape, braille and large print versions are also available on request for visually impaired people by contacting 028 9089 6825.
Or write to:
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division
Great Northern Tower
17 Great Victoria Street
Belfast
BT2 7AD
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