Financial support for children

When a couple* with children separates, the parent who moves out of the family home is obliged to pay child maintenance to help with the children’s day-to-day living expenses.

Our family lawyers can help you and your partner agree an appropriate level of maintenance as part of the divorce or separation process.

If parents are not able to reach an agreement, the government Child Support Agency (soon to be Child Maintenance and Finance Commission) will impose an amount of maintenance based on percentages of income (for details, visit the Directgov website). At this stage, neither the court nor your solicitor is involved. We can help, however, if you are requesting a top up to the percentage – to pay for private school fees for example.

To speak to one of our family solicitors, call 01223 358275 or email family@ginandco.co.uk

*In the case of children whose parents are not married or in a civil partnership, the parent who moves out of the family home has no financial obligation. But the court will sometimes intervene to ensure that the parent who looks after the children has enough funds and adequate housing to fulfil their role as carer.