Legal changes have happened in child maintenance over the last few years. They mainly affect parents with the main day-to-day care who are on benefit.
Since 27 October 2008 if you’re the parent with the main day-to-day care and you’re on benefits, you can now choose to arrange child maintenance through a family-based arrangement. If this doesn’t work or you are unable to make one, you can still use the Child Support Agency (CSA) or the courts.
Recent changes in the law mean that money you receive for child maintenance won’t affect any state benefits you’re entitled to.
Until the law changed, if you were the parent with the main day-to-day care and you were on benefit, you had to arrange child maintenance using the Child Support Agency (CSA). You weren't able to opt out and make a family arrangement with the other parent.
Since 12 April 2010, all parents with the main day-to-day care who receive income-related benefits have been allowed to keep all of their child maintenance, without it affecting their entitlement to benefit.
Until the law changed, if you were the parent with the main day-to-day care and you were on benefit, the amount of child maintenance you received may have affected the amount of benefits you received.
