What Are Your Child Maintenance Options?
What is child maintenance?
An obligation is given to all parents to support their biological children financially. They have to provide them with a place to live and make sure that they have a good upbringing.
Therefore if the parents of a child have separated, the non-resident parent must still provide the resident parents with money to help them sustain their welfare. Maintenance payments usually end on the child's 19th birthday or when they leave school.
This applies to parents if they are married or not, separated or married. It applies to all biological children.
Sadly, the courts no longer have the power to deal with disputes regarding child maintenance. All that courts can do is to make agreements legally binding. If you have made a maintenance order and sent it to a court for approval then it can be enforced in the future if it is not followed. This means that the courts will not consider maintenance during the divorce procedure to such an extent.
There is no relation between maintenance payments and contact with the child. A court will not look kindly upon a mother who uses the fact that the father isn't paying maintenance to deprive him contact with the child. Maintenance is not a weapon and using it as one is frowned upon by the law.
How much maintenance should be paid?
The amount of maintenance that is to be paid is always disputed. This is because it is not an exact science. The best way to decide upon the amount is to discuss the situation with the other parent in a civilised manner. You will both need to consider the financial situation of both parents, what expenses the child needs and any other requirements of the children.
There is another way that you can come to an agreement. If you are willing to disclose full financial situation to both each other and the Child Support Agency, CSA, then they will be able to make the decision. However, for most people the first option is going to be the best and the easiest method.
Full disclosure is very important. If a parent withholds information on their income or finances then it will invalidate the entire process. It is not unknown for parents to both provide solid evidence of financial circumstances.
Changing Maintenance
Maintenance levels, once agreed, are not set in stone. They can be varied considerably depending on the situation. If the situation changes dramatically, so will the maintenance order.
An obligation is given to all parents to support their biological children financially. They have to provide them with a place to live and make sure that they have a good upbringing.
Therefore if the parents of a child have separated, the non-resident parent must still provide the resident parents with money to help them sustain their welfare. Maintenance payments usually end on the child's 19th birthday or when they leave school.
This applies to parents if they are married or not, separated or married. It applies to all biological children.
Sadly, the courts no longer have the power to deal with disputes regarding child maintenance. All that courts can do is to make agreements legally binding. If you have made a maintenance order and sent it to a court for approval then it can be enforced in the future if it is not followed. This means that the courts will not consider maintenance during the divorce procedure to such an extent.
There is no relation between maintenance payments and contact with the child. A court will not look kindly upon a mother who uses the fact that the father isn't paying maintenance to deprive him contact with the child. Maintenance is not a weapon and using it as one is frowned upon by the law.
How much maintenance should be paid?
The amount of maintenance that is to be paid is always disputed. This is because it is not an exact science. The best way to decide upon the amount is to discuss the situation with the other parent in a civilised manner. You will both need to consider the financial situation of both parents, what expenses the child needs and any other requirements of the children.
There is another way that you can come to an agreement. If you are willing to disclose full financial situation to both each other and the Child Support Agency, CSA, then they will be able to make the decision. However, for most people the first option is going to be the best and the easiest method.
Full disclosure is very important. If a parent withholds information on their income or finances then it will invalidate the entire process. It is not unknown for parents to both provide solid evidence of financial circumstances.
Changing Maintenance
Maintenance levels, once agreed, are not set in stone. They can be varied considerably depending on the situation. If the situation changes dramatically, so will the maintenance order.
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