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Hi guys
My son is 16, not at college nor working.
Should I or do I still have to pay child maintenance ?
He lives about 70 miles away so I have little if any contact with him and frankly don't want to talk to my ex wife
She and her partner are both out of work so she claims that I have to support my son because they can't. [censored] money is more
Important I think.
It's my belief that my son has to be in full time education for me to carrying on paying maintenance
Am I correct???
You are correct, the criteria is up until the age of 16 unless in full time non advanced education. However if the mother is continuing to claim child benefit you might have a problem getting the CSA to accept that your maintenance should stop. It might be advisable to give them a call and discuss this with them to see what the position is.
Hi Steve765
Thanks for your post, I'm William the Child Maintenance Options consultant. Under child support legislation, regular child maintenance payments must be made until a child is 16 years old, or 20 if they are in full-time, non-advanced education (A-level or equivalent), or for as long as Child Benefit is being paid. Also, anyone aged 16 or 17 who is not in education, is not working and does not receive employment related benefits, is also defined as a child. If you have a case with Child Support Agency (CSA), you will need to contact them directly to confirm if your payments have ended. Their contact details can be found on any letter they have sent you, or this website www.gov.uk/child-support-agency provides their contact details.
If you have a family-based arrangement in place it is between you and your ex-wife to agree together when your payments will end. Family-based arrangements are not legally binding. If you have a Consent Order for child maintenance, you will need to check with the solicitor that started the original proceedings what was written into the original agreement.
Thanks
William
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