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Child Maintenance Solicitors – Expert Legal Advice in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham, London & Across the UK
Child maintenance is handled separately from divorce or separation proceedings, but it is still essential to have clear arrangements in place for your children’s financial support. While the court will want to know that suitable child support plans exist, it no longer has the power to order payments.
Parents must now arrange child maintenance themselves, either through mutual agreement or by applying to the Child Maintenance Service. Our child maintenance solicitors can:
- Give advice on your rights and responsibilities
- Help you calculate how much child maintenance should be paid
- Give advice on making a family-based arrangement
- Give advice when changing the terms of any family-based arrangement in place
- Help if child maintenance payments have stopped
Our child maintenance solicitors can advise you on your legal rights and responsibilities, help calculate how much child support should be paid, and guide you in setting up a family-based arrangement.
We also provide expert advice on changing the terms of an existing agreement and offer support if child maintenance payments have stopped, ensuring your children’s financial needs are met.
Free Legal Consultation
Our family law team offer a free legal consultation to new clients. You can book an appointment by telephone, video call or in person.
Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free consultation today.
What is Child Maintenance in the UK?
Child maintenance, also known as child support, is money paid by one parent to help cover a child’s living costs when they no longer live together. Under UK law, both parents are legally responsible for their children’s financial needs.
How Long Do Child Maintenance Payments Last?
Payments usually continue until the child turns 16, or up to 20 if they remain in full-time education or approved training.
How is Child Maintenance Calculated?
The amount is based on factors such as:
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The non-resident parent’s income
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The number of children they are responsible for
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The child’s living arrangements
How Can Child Maintenance Be Arranged?
Parents can agree on payments privately or use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to calculate and collect payments.
What Does Child Maintenance Cover?
Child maintenance (or child support) is designed to cover a child’s essential living costs, including:
In some cases, parents may agree for child maintenance to include additional expenses, such as:
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Childcare costs (nursery fees, after-school care)
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School-related expenses (uniforms, books, extracurricular activities, tuition fees)
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Medical or healthcare costs not covered by the NHS
How Can Child Maintenance be Paid?
Parents can pay child maintenance in two ways – directly between themselves through a family-based arrangement or through the CMS.
Family-based arrangement – Parents can agree on a private arrangement for child maintenance, where the non-resident parent pays the agreed amount directly to the parent with main care. This is usually the cheapest and quickest way to agree child maintenance.
Child Maintenance Service (CMS) – a government scheme that calculates the maintenance payment for you and can deal with the payments.
What is a Family-Based Arrangement?
A family-based arrangement is a private agreement between parents on how child maintenance will be paid, without involving the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). These arrangements can cover payment amounts, frequency, and what the money should be used for.
Because family-based arrangements are not legally binding, they rely on both parents maintaining good communication and cooperation. They offer flexibility but provide less legal protection if one parent stops making payments.
It’s recommended to seek advice from an experienced child maintenance solicitor before setting up a family-based arrangement. A solicitor can explain your rights, responsibilities, and options if the arrangement breaks down.
The Role of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS)
Sometimes parents cannot reach a family-based arrangement regarding child maintenance. The CMS can arrange maintenance for you if you haven’t been able to agree maintenance with your ex-partner.
However, it’s best if you can arrange maintenance directly with the paying parent. The process can be time consuming, and payments could be delayed. There are also costs associated with using their collect and pay service.
Our Child Maintenance Solicitors
Our child maintenance solicitors represent clients in:
– Sheffield
– Barnsley
– Rotherham
– South Yorkshire, including Doncaster and the Peak District
– Elsewhere in Yorkshire, including Leeds, Whitby, Castleford, York and Skipton
– Derbyshire, including Chesterfield, Castleton and Derby
– London and surrounding areas
– Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop and surrounding areas in Nottinghamshire
– Other areas in the north of England, including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford, Bolton and Middlesbrough
– The midlands, including Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Grantham, Stoke on Trent, Lincoln, Peterborough Stafford and Leicester
– The south of England, including Cornwall, Dorset, Oxford, Gloucestershire, Chichester, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Bournemouth, Exeter, Milton Keys, Cheltenham, Bath, Plymouth and Ipswich
– Cheshire
– Nationwide (throughout England)
The team also offer a free 30-minute consultation on your first visit, which can be made face-to-face, on the phone or virtually.
Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free appointment today.
Why Choose Howells Solicitors
The Howells divorce solicitors are some of the best in the country and one of the largest in the north of England. They been consistently highly ranked for family law work in the north by the Legal 500. Howells have over 40 years’ experience supporting families and are ranked high on Review Solicitors where they have a rating of 4.9 out of 5 for their client care. The team are also accredited by Resolution and the Law Society.
The divorce team at Howells are often praised by clients for their honesty, compassion, and down to earth approach with their clients, and are excellent at their client care making the process of your case less stressful.
The team offer flexible appointments to suit your availability and are transparent with their fees, offering affordable services without compromising on quality. You can make an appointment face-to-face, on the phone or by video.
Contact us or call us on 0114 2235 807 to book your free appointment today.