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Hello, new here and needing some advice. I have been divorced from my ex for 7 years and separated for 9 years. I have always paid maintenance at around £600pcm. This was a private agreement. We have two children who are aged 17 (at college) and 16 (in school). For the last 2 years my 16 year old daughter has lived with me and my partner full time. My 17 year old has remained wtih her mum full time. I reduced maintenance to £100 pcm in light of the one child living with each parent. However, as time goes on and I am constantly giving money to my 17 I am less and less fond of giving my ex the £100, we both have good jobs and in no way on the bread line. I have also paid for both girls to go on holiday abroad with her sister as she refused to pay at all. My plan was to stop the £100 per month until i have 'recouped' the holiday money then pay the money directly to my daughter as she will then be 18, is this legal?
Hi,
With private arrangements you can decide whatever works. But legally child maintenance does not always stop when child turns 18:
You’re normally expected to pay child maintenance until your child is 16, or until they’re 20 if they’re in school or college full-time studying for:
A-levels
Highers, or
equivalent.
Child maintenance might stop earlier – for example, if one parent dies or the child no longer qualifies for child benefit.
https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/family-and-care/divorce-and-separation/how-much-child-maintenance-should-i-pay#:~:text=Yo u're%20normally%20expected%20to,A%2Dlevels
@bill337 thank you for your response. Totaly get that I will have to pay maintenance for her whilst she is in higher education and have no difficulty with that. But from age 18 I can pay it directly to her. What I am wondering is do I have to pay - I have full time care of one child and her mother has full time care of the other. Neither child stays the night at the others house. My ex wife does not pay anything towards the child that is resident with me and contributes nothing towards her upbringing. I however, give money weekly directly to my daughter that is resident wtih her mother, as well as maintenance. I just wondered if I could stop paying it to my ex wife, then begin giving maintenance directly to my daughter when she turns 18 in April? would be so grateful if you had any expierence with this
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