Child maintenance is
regular financial support towards a child's everyday
living costs. It's paid by the parent without the main
day-to-day care of the child to the parent with the
main care.
As a parent, your financial
responsibility for your child doesn't end when your
relationship with the other parent ends.
You have two options
for arranging maintenance. You and the other parent
could make a private agreement between yourselves, which
can be done in whichever way is best suited to your
circumstances.
The other option is to
arrange maintenance through the Child Support Agency
(CSA). Some parents choose this option if they don't
feel they could reach an agreement about maintenance
themselves.
If you'd like free help
with deciding what to do, Child Maintenance Options
provides impartial information and support to help both
parents make an informed choice about the child maintenance
arrangement best suited to your circumstances.
The Nuffield Foundation and the Department for Constitutional
Affairs supported One Plus One's development of material
for married or not. The legal information on
this site was checked by Sarah Forster, with assistance
from Diane McBrinn.
Disclaimer: This website is intended to offer general
non-specific guidance in outline form. Those accessing
it should not rely solely on the information or advice
it contains.