A family-based arrangement is free to set up. It can be quite simple and quick to arrange because you don't have to deal with any official rules or authorities. It's just an agreement between two people. Here are some things you'll need to think about before deciding if it's the best arrangement for your circumstances.
Can you work together and trust each other?
- You and the other parent will need to be honest with each other about finances. Child maintenance is usually paid based on the income of the parent without the main day-to-day care.
- You'll need to be able to work together and agree child maintenance arrangements for your child
- If you and the other parent can manage to work together without involving anyone else in your child maintenance arrangement, it may be less stressful for your child and your relationship with the other parent.
- Do you feel you and the other parent could work together to adapt your agreement if circumstances change? For example, the parent without the main day-to-day care may lose their job or one of you may have a child with another person.
Can you keep the agreement going?
- It will take commitment and willingness from both of you to make a family arrangement work.
- When both parents agree things together, child maintenance payments are more likely to be made in full and on time. But if you've failed to make a family arrangement work before, it's less likely to work the second time.
- You should be aware that a family arrangement is not legally binding. This means overdue child maintenance payments can't be collected or enforced if the parent without the main day-to-day care stops paying.
Do you want to keep control of your arrangement?
- This can be a totally family arrangement. No one else needs to get involved.
- There are no authorities to deal with, so you have more flexibility over how and when child maintenance payments are made. Making special arrangements to suit your circumstances is easier than with a child maintenance arrangement through the CSA.
What happens if your family arrangement breaks down?
- You would need to talk to each other. Perhaps the parent without the main day-to-day care has lost their job, is ill or has another reason for not paying.
- If you're the parent with the main day-to-day care, perhaps you've done something to upset the other parent. Try to think of anything that may have caused a negative reaction.
- If the parent without the main day-to-day care loses their job, you could think about reducing the child maintenance payments temporarily and then increase them again when they're back in work.
- Or you can always ask the CSA to put a child maintenance arrangement in place.
If you think a family arrangement may be the best option for you, read about how to make a family-based arrangement about child maintenance.
You can also read more about family arrangements and child maintenance in our FAQs.
