During a divorce or separation, your main concern will be your children. Our child maintenance solicitors will help advise and guide you and your former partner to make agreements concerning your children.

Who pays child maintenance?

Child maintenance is paid for by the parent the children do not live with the most. There are three options on which child maintenance can be agreed upon:

• The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is a government scheme that calculates maintenance payments for you. If CMS is forced upon you, there will be penalties to be paid.
• A court order is where the court decides the maintenance payments, lump-sum payments. Court orders for child maintenance payments will only be made in certain circumstances.
• Child maintenance can be agreed on between the parties, known as a ‘family-based arrangement’, if an agreement is successful, it can be recorded on a private agreement. However, this agreement is not legally binding.

Do you need help with a child maintenance agreement?

If you are experiencing divorce and need to come to an agreement for your child, contact us on 0161 798 9000.