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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Other areas of social welfare law  →  Thread

child maintenance service

ClairemHodgson
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Solicitor, SC Law, Harrow

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i had no idea until i read this

https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2016/dec/10/child-maintenance-service-fee-single-parent-families-dwp

that the CMS charges fees for it’s service…..

how on earth are people wrestling with the DWP etc supposed to put the money together for this?

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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It’s not just the upfront fee Claire, they can also charge for collecting payments.

When do you have to pay collection charges?

There are charges if the Child Maintenance Service has to step in to collect money from your child’s other parent and pay it to you. The paying parent has to pay an additional 20 per cent on top of the usual child maintenance amount, and your child maintenance amount is reduced by four per cent. If your child’s other parent pays the money directly to you, neither of you have to pay charges.

Changes to child maintenance from Gingerbread

[ Edited: 12 Dec 2016 at 01:22 pm by Paul_Treloar_AgeUK ]
Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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Nothing like our caring government for making a profit from people’s misery and misfortune!

ClairemHodgson
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Solicitor, SC Law, Harrow

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Paul_Treloar_AgeUK - 12 December 2016 11:29 AM

It’s not just the upfront fee Claire, they can also charge for collecting payments.

When do you have to pay collection charges?

There are charges if the Child Maintenance Service has to step in to collect money from your child’s other parent and pay it to you. The paying parent has to pay an additional 20 per cent on top of the usual child maintenance amount, and your child maintenance amount is reduced by four per cent. If your child’s other parent pays the money directly to you, neither of you have to pay charges.

Changes to child maintenance from Gingerbread

dear lord.

i don’t do family so had no clue…...

Surrey Adviser
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Benefits and debt adviser - Esher CAB, Surrey

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It’s a carrot and stick approach.  I seem to remember that when it came in the objective was said to be to encourage couples to come to an arrangement themselves, without CMS having to do the work of collecting and paying.  It would be interesting is someone independent did a survey to show how effective it has been.