In the News

You can apply for a special expenses variation for the following:

• Travel costs to maintain regular contact with your child (if more than £10 a week)
• Costs connected with supporting a child with a disability or a long-term illness
• Repaying debts from your former relationship, e.g. a loan for a car the receiving parent has kept
• Boarding school fees for children who qualify for child maintenance
• Paying the mortgage for the property where the receiving parent and child live

Basic Rate
The Basic rate applies the amount of child maintenance you will pay each week is based on the following percentages:

• 12% for one child
• 16% for two children
• 19% for three or more children

Basic Plus Rate
If your gross weekly income is more than £800, the Basic Plus rate of child maintenance is applied as well as the Basic rate.
In addition to the percentage rates applied to the first £800 above, the following percentages are calculated
on any balance over £800:

• 9% for one child
• 12% for two children
• 15% for three or more children

The basic plus rate is capped at £3000 per week.

Reduced Rate
For the reduced rate you would pay a fixed rate of £7 a week for the first £100 and the following
percentage will be applied to the balance:

• 17% for one child
• 25% for two children
• 31% for three or more children

Flat Rate and Nil Rate
If your weekly gross income is less than £100 or you or your partner receive certain benefits,
you would pay a flat rate of £7 a week in child maintenance.

If you are under 16, a student aged 19 or less, in prison or in a care home,
you would not have to pay any child maintenance.

The more nights that your children stay overnight with you, the more the
calculator will reduce the weekly amount of child maintenance:

• 52 to 103 nights = 1/7 (14% reduction)
• 104 to 155 nights = 2/7 reduction
• 156 to 174 nights = 3/7 reduction
• More than 175 = 50% reduction plus an extra £7 a week for each child

If you have other children, the calculator will reduce
your weekly gross income by the following percentage:

• 11% reduction for one child
• 14% reduction for two children
• 16% reduction for three or more children