How much child maintenance will I get paid?
Last updated: 21/08/2026
Looking to find out how much child maintenance you will get? After you apply for child maintenance the Child Maintenance Service will contact your child’s other parent or HM Revenue & Customs for details of their income.
CMS Contact Details
Child Maintenance Service 21
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 2BU
Telephone: 0800 171 2345
Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 171 2345
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3.30pm
Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
After you apply for child maintenance, the Child Maintenance Service will contact your child’s other parent to ask for details about their circumstances and income. They may also contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) if your child’s other parent does not reply or they need more information. The CMS check HMRC first then send a letter to the paying parent stating how much they are to pay. The paying parent is given two weeks to challenge any of this or provide more information.
There are certain things which affect a paying parent’s income that will be taken into account by the Child Maintenance Service when calculating child maintenance payments. These include payments into pension schemes, certain costs or expenses and the number of other children your child’s other parent pays maintenance for.
If the paying parent is a student any earnings from employment will be used to calculate child maintenance payments. Student finance, including loans and grants, will not count for child maintenance.
The child maintenance service review calculations each year. Payments may be affected by changes in the paying parent’s circumstances, such as a change in their income or family. Paying parents are required to tell CMS if their income changes by 25% during the year. CMS should be told about these changes as soon as possible.
Child maintenance rates
Child maintenance rates are applied to a full year’s taxable income. The rates differ depending on the gross weekly income amount:
Best evidence assessment
If the Child Maintenance Service do not get the information they need to calculate the maintenance payment they can either make a “best evidence assessment” or a “default maintenance decision”.
A best evidence assessment uses previous information held about a paying parent’s gross income to work out the amount of child maintenance that must be paid.
Reduced rate
A reduced rate is used where the paying parent’s gross weekly income is more than £100 but less than £200.
The reduced rate has two parts:
- an amount equal to the flat rate of £7 per week plus
- a percentage of the gross weekly income above £100 per week
Example
If a paying parent’s income is £110 per week and there is one qualifying child, the child maintenance payment would be:-
The flat rate of £7 plus 17% of £10 (the weekly income over £100)
£7 + £1.70 = £8.70
Flat rate
If the paying parent’s gross weekly income is £100 per week or less, or if they receive an income based benefit, a flat rate is used for child maintenance.
The flat rate is a £7 per week regardless of the number of children.
Nil rate
No child maintenance is payable if the paying parent is:
- a person with a gross weekly income of less than £7
- a child under 16 or a young person under 19 who is in full-time non-advanced education (up to A-level or equivalent)
- a person who is aged 16 or 17 and getting income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- a young person getting a work-based training allowance
- a prisoner
- in residential care or a nursing home and getting help with fees or on certain benefits
- a patient in hospital who has had their benefits reduced
Reductions for other children
If your child’s other parent is paying maintenance for children from another relationship the amount of maintenance you receive will be reduced.
If your children’s other parent has a child from another relationship living with them (a relevant child) this will also reduce your maintenance payments.
| Rates | Gross Weekly Income | Amount Payable |
| Nil rate | Less than £7 | £0 per week |
| Flat rate | £100 or less per week | £7 per week |
| Reduced Rate | £100.01 to £199.99 | 17% of income over £100 (1 child), 25% (2 children), 31% (3+ children) |
| Basic rate | £200 – £799 | 12% of gross income (1 child), 16% (2 children), 19% (3+ children) |
| Basic Plus Rate | £800 – £3000 | Basic rate on first £800, then 9% (1 child), 12% (2 children), 15% (3+ children) on income over £800 |
| Default maintenance decision | Used when CMS cannot obtain income information | £39/week (1 child), £51/week (2 children), £64/week (3+ children) |
Note: Whilst these are estimations of what to expect, the actual payable amount may be different depending on your circumstances.
If you do not agree with the child maintenance calculation
If you think your child maintenance calculation is wrong you can ask for the CMS to look at this by reporting a change online or calling CMS.
Find out more about challenging a decision from the CMS.
If the paying parent lives abroad
If your paying parent lives abroad, you can still use the Child Maintenance Service if your child’s other parent is:
- a UK civil servant or works within Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service
- a member of the armed forces
- working for a company that is based and registered in the UK
- working on secondment for a UK regional health authority or local council
If the parent without main day-to-day care lives abroad, the Child Maintenance Service can only help if they work for the above organisations.
If the receiving parent lives abroad
If the child and the parent with the main day-to-day care live abroad, you cannot make a new application to the Child Maintenance Service.
If you cannot make an application through the Child Maintenance Service, you can make a private child maintenance arrangement.