Hello, my partners son dropped out of sixth form before Easter … well, actually he was kicked out. So he has been looking for a job since then. He starts a full time job working 30 hours a week next week that is going to give him an apprenticeship.
My question is, when do maintenance payments stop to his mother? He is 17. We want to make sure it’s all legal. They don’t have a CMS but have a private consent order set up stating to pay until he turns 18 or leave a full time education (whichever comes first)
Thanks
Hi,
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.
@bill337 so what about if he didn’t get child benefit due to parents income being too high? Also, he is doing four days a week for his apprenticeship so still not sure if we can stop payments. Thank you for your reply.
Hi,
If you had been paying through CMS, then their rules is child maintenance stops when child no longer qualifies for child benefit.
With apprenticeship or other course, he would have to do minimum of 12 hours a week of class study, for it to be counted as full-time education. Also depend if course is approved by by child benefit office. More info: