When does child support finish or stop?
When does child support expire? When do the maintenance payments end? Do students continue to receive maintenance?
This appears to be an easy question. But there isn’t a straightforward response on the UK government or CMS websites, and I’ve spent months looking for credible and clear information.
Friends, I’ve been on hold for an hour this morning waiting to talk with the Child Maintenance Service. Finally, I have a definitive explanation for when child support ceases and when/how payments cease. Hopefully, this will save you time! And perhaps make your co-parenting a little less stressful!
Do you get maintenance if your child drops out of school?
So your child is about to turn 16 and you’re wondering if maintenance payments end when they reach that age… Okay, maybe.
If a child quits school at the age of 16 and enters employment or an apprenticeship that involves LESS THAN 12 HOURS A WEEK OF SUPERVISED TRAINING/EDUCATION (ON AVERAGE), maintenance payments will cease the month they begin this training or employment OR the month they reach the age of 16 (whichever is later).
If your child continues to undertake 12 hours or more of supervised study or course work each week, they are still eligible to child support .
Do you receive maintenance if your children are in college?
Most young people do not leave school at the age of 16, but instead pursue non-advanced education such as A-Levels, T-Levels, BTECs, or apprenticeships in which young people attend college for a few of days each week. In this instance, the kid is entitled to support for the duration of their education.
There are three conceivable points at which student maintenance is terminated:
- The youngster completes his or her non-advanced course and proceeds to university or higher education. Maintenance payments are terminated the month your child completes their course or leaves school
- The child completes their studies and begins working. Maintenance payments will be terminated after the child completes their course.
- The youngster may retake examinations, take extra non-advanced exams, or change classes. In this situation, maintenance is only terminated after the kid completes non-advanced schooling OR when they reach the age of 20 (whichever comes first).
When does maintenance come to an end?
Do you get maintenance through the CMS, or does your co-parent pay you directly through the CMS?
If this is the case, you do not need to notify the CMS about your child’s situation. When your kid reaches the age of 18, the kid Benefit agency will contact you to confirm whether or not your child is quitting non-advanced schooling. If they are, the kid Benefit agency notifies the CMS, and the CMS cancels the case and all future payments for that kid.
You do not need to contact CMS or do anything on your own. If you like, you may log into CMS and notify them that a kid will be leaving school at a later date. This isn’t necessary in the vast majority of child support .
Should Parents Pay Child Support After the Age of 18?
To be honest, I think it’s terrible that (typically) males eagerly down the days until they are “free” of the weight of upkeep. There are internet forums full of males claiming that they don’t have to pay maintenance because their ex moved in with someone else, or their child works on weekends, or for any other “reason.”
I’d simply say this: raising children does not magically cost $0 because they are 16 or 18, and if you’re any kind of man and father, you will continue to support your child for as long as they require it. If they live with your ex, it makes reasonable to direct such support to their parent.
Personally, I believe that for many guys, maintenance gets intertwined with resentment of an ex. There’s a temptation to believe that your ex is “fleecing” you with money that they don’t spend on the child. I recall my daughter’s father once questioning why I used the maintenance to pay bills rather to buy stuff for his daughter.
I’ll say it again for anyone who are unfamiliar with this concept. Maintenance is available to help your child throughout his or her life. Yes, they require clothing and toys. They also require a place to reside, working lighting, running water, and food. Every time kids have a school play or a sports club, they are driven or take the bus with your ex.
If your ex uses maintenance to have her nails done, it’s because she’s already spent her money on items your child need. If you contribute to the home and your child has all they need to be secure, warm, and healthy, you have no need to child support .
Post-18 Maintenance Agreement
When your child goes off to university, both parents, in my opinion, should continue to support that child. Outside of London, the maximum student loan for living expenses is roughly £9,000 per year. That’s just about enough to fund a year’s worth of student housing at several colleges. Your youngster will still have to pay for books, meals, transport passes and maybe fees like the TV licence and utilities.
Our family has decided that Flea’s father would continue to pay her support for the duration of her university studies. Flea will be paid maintenance during the semester. Not directly, because we are not idiots. However, upkeep will be covered for housing. Maintenance will be paid to me over the Christmas season. Of course, this will go towards her living expenses while she is at home. However, it will also help her pay for university-related expenses such as new bedding or clothing, textbooks, and so on.
If you have a teenager who is about to leave school, I hope this simple guide to upkeep is useful. The good thing is that you have very little to do, and the procedure should take care of itself. If not, you know when maintenance payments should stop and can make arrangements on your own if necessary.
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