For more information on what you can do if you think your calculation is wrong, see our factsheet Challenging your Child Maintenance Service Calculation. See our factsheet Enforcing payment of CMS child maintenance for more information about what you can do. You can complain if you have received poor service from the CMS such as delays, poor communication or administrative errors.
The CMS should investigate your complaint and try to put things right. In some cases where there have been long delays or wrong information given, you may be paid compensation. Also, if the CMS has caused you serious inconvenience, severe embarrassment or your health has suffered, you may be eligible for a small sum known as a consolatory payment. There is no legal right to these payments. A complaint may not necessarily lead to a change in the amount of maintenance you receive.
You will need to challenge the calculation as well if you think it has been wrongly calculated. For more details on how to complain see the page Manage your Child Maintenance Service case at www. Complaints can be made by phone or in writing. Information about your child maintenance options and making an agreement best suited to your circumstances. Information booklets, a maintenance calculator and a private agreement form are on the website.
Information about claiming child support through the Child Maintenance Service. To make a claim you must have a reference number provided by Child Maintenance Options. The Child Law Advice site provides legal advice and information on all aspects of law and policy affecting children. Information is available on parental responsibility, contact and residence disputes. Some materials are free, and there is also a paid-for service. Information and advice on a wide range of issues including benefits and tax credits.
Check your telephone directory for your local bureau or find details on the website. Can answer general enquiries relating to mediation and put callers in contact with local mediation services. The Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline provides support and expert advice on anything from dealing with a break-up to going back to work or sorting out child maintenance, benefit or tax credit issues.
Our friendly advisers will talk through your options and send you useful information. Your call is free and confidential. Run by our partner organisation, One Parent Families Scotland , the Lone Parent Helpline provides free, confidential advice and information for single parents in Scotland. Share Tweet Share Email Print page. Date last updated: 19 August What if we share the care of our child? What if? Making a complaint about the CMS Who to contact. Applying to the CMS for child maintenance Before you can apply to the CMS you will have to speak to Child Maintenance Options to discuss whether you could make a family-based arrangement instead.
What happens when I apply? How will I receive payments? How much should I get? What if I think the CMS child maintenance calculation is wrong? What if the paying parent does not pay child maintenance regularly or in full? Making a complaint about the CMS You can complain if you have received poor service from the CMS such as delays, poor communication or administrative errors. Who to Contact Learn about organisations that can help you by clicking on the blocks below:.
Other organisations Child Maintenance Options www. Child Support Agency CSA — This is also a service run by the Government to arrange and collect child maintenance but only deals with old applications set up before December All new applications are dealt with by the Child Maintenance Service. Private agreements for child maintenance. You can agree child maintenance with the other parent by negotiating with them directly or through your solicitor.
You can record this in a private agreement form available from Child Maintenance Options see Useful contacts. The benefits of an agreement are that neither party will have to pay Child Maintenance Service fees and the parents can change the maintenance rates by agreement as their circumstances change.
Arrangements for child maintenance made by way of agreement are not legally enforceable. This means that if the non-resident parent decides to reduce or stop their maintenance payments you cannot force them to stick to the agreement. If the non-resident parent stops paying or reduces maintenance you should contact the Child Maintenance Service.
The non-resident parent will only be required to make payments from the date you apply to the Child Maintenance Service. Domestic violence and private arrangements. Private agreements may not be appropriate or safe if you have experienced domestic violence. It may be safer to ask the Child Maintenance Service to arrange and collect the maintenance for you.
For further information contact our legal advice line see Useful contacts. Will receiving child maintenance affect my benefits? Child maintenance will not affect your social security benefits. You should, however, let the relevant benefits agency know about the child maintenance you receive.
If you are unable to agree arrangements for child maintenance with the other parent then you can make an application for child maintenance. There are currently three different schemes in place to calculate child maintenance.
Over the next few years parents who use the CSA will have their cases closed and they will be given the option of using the CMS or making arrangements privately with the non-resident parent. Applications to the courts for child maintenance. If you are involved in Court proceedings to divide assets following a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership and can agree child maintenance you can apply to court to have this agreement turned into a consent order.
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