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Child Support & Maintenance
The Child Support Agency (known as the CSA) deals with the determination and collection of child maintenance from the parent no longer residing with the family.
Your Questions Answered.
How Does Child Support Operate?
The CSA use a calculation formula to determine the amount to be paid by the parent absent from the family home to the parent with whom the child is living
Who Qualifies for Child Support?
Any natural child who is under 16 or in full time secondary education aged under 19 who is living in UK. The parent who is not living with the child must pay Child Support to that child
How much will the Payment for Child Support Be?
A percentage of the absent parent’s earnings up to a total of £104,000 net per year. The percentage payable depends on the number of children involved. For one child the percentage is 15% for two children it is 20% and for three children or more the percentage is 25%. Parents who are on a low income pay a reduced amount and those in special cases, such as students or prisoners, pay nothing at all. This is the basic calculation. Also taken into account is the amount of nights the children spend with their non resident parent. The CSA apply complex rules to some stages of its calculation.
Do the CSA ever increase or decrease the amount payable for Child Support?
Yes. If the parent who is not living with the child has income which has not been taken into account, has hidden their earnings or has assets of over £65,000 (other than in their home or business), then the CSA may increase the calculation.
The CSA may also reduce payments, if the circumstances of the parent who is not living with the child change or if the child stays with that parent overnight (graded in bands). There is also a nil rate band for non-resident parents who have special circumstances such as being a student.
My former partner is working overseas, Can the CSA collect payments?
The CSA may be able to collect payments where the non-resident parent is working overseas for a UK registered company.
I have tried getting Child Support through the CSA but have been unsuccessful. Can I apply to the Court instead?
Since the introduction of the CSA in 1992, the Courts do not generally become involved in the issue of child maintenance. There are, however, exceptions to this general rule; where the parents agree the level of support between themselves (this is only valid for one year), where school fees or other educational costs are in issue, where married parents have a step child, where a child is 17 years old and if the child or one of the parents is living outside the UK.
How much will it cost to get Child Support?
The CSA is a government agency and the costs of administering Child Support are borne by the tax payer.
If you need to make an application to the Court, the costs will be determined by the issues that are not agreed and the length of time it takes to reach agreement or a Court Order. If there is no agreement reached, then the matter will be settled by the Court and this will become expensive.
Our costs are determined on an hourly rate, which you will be advised of at your first appointment at Crisp & Co.
What should I do next?
Get in contact with us at Crisp & Co. We have two offices, one in Guildford, Surrey and the other in Esher, Surrey to book an appointment.
Is there anything I need to bring with me to my first appointment with Crisp & CO?
We will need you to bring with you the following papers and documents:-
- Your passport or photo identity driving licence plus another proof of identity with your name and address, such as a recent utility bill.
- Your marriage certificate if it is available.
- Any letters or documents that have been sent to you by your husband or wife’s solicitors
- What information will I need to give you at my first appointment?
- We will need to know the following information from you:-
- Your marital status, the date of your marriage and the date of any separation
- The full names and dates of birth of your children
- Your nationality and country of residence
- The nationality of your partner and their country of residence
- Details of any previous Court Orders relating to Child Maintenance.
- Details of your income and that of any other member of your household
- Details of property, assets, investments and pensions held either in your own name or in the joint names of yourself and your partner
- Details of any mortgages or other liabilities in either your own name or in the joint names of you and your partner
- Do not worry if you cannot provide all the information listed above at the first appointment, any missing information can always be obtained at a later date. However, the more information you can provide us with the quicker we will be able to advise you in respect of your particular situation.
