Child Maintenance Calculator
Work out child maintenance under the CMS 2012 scheme: basic, reduced and flat rates, other children, shared care nights and Collect and Pay fees.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) works out child maintenance from the paying parent's gross income. On the basic rate that is 12% of gross weekly income for one child, 16% for two and 19% for three or more, less if the child stays with the paying parent overnight. Enter the paying parent's figures below to see the weekly amount and each step of the calculation. This covers England, Wales and Scotland; for Northern Ireland see nidirect.
Enter the figures and press Work it out.
The five rates
The rates are set by Schedule 1 to the Child Support Act 1991, with the detail in the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012. Which one applies depends on gross weekly income:
| Gross weekly income | Rate | Weekly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Below £7 | Nil (para 5) | £0 |
| £7 to £100, or on a listed benefit | Flat (para 4) | £7 |
| More than £100, less than £200 | Reduced (para 3, reg 43) | £7 plus a percentage of income above £100 |
| £200 to £800 | Basic (para 2(1)) | 12% / 16% / 19% for 1 / 2 / 3+ children |
| Over £800, up to £3,000 | Basic plus (para 2(2)) | Basic rate on the first £800, then 9% / 12% / 15% |
The basic plus test is applied to income after any reduction for other children in the paying parent's home. Income above £3,000 a week is ignored (para 10(3)); above that, gov.uk says the receiving parent can apply to the courts for extra maintenance (gov.uk). "Basic plus" is DWP's name for the part above £800; the Act calls it all the basic rate.
How gross weekly income is found
The CMS asks HMRC for the paying parent's taxable income for the latest tax year: employment income, pension income, trading profit, and some taxable benefits (reg 36). Pension contributions taken off pay under net pay are already out of that figure; contributions paid another way are deducted on request (reg 35(3)). The annual figure is divided by 365 and multiplied by 7 (reg 35(1)(c)). Current income is used instead mainly where it differs from the HMRC figure by at least 25%, or where HMRC has no historic figure to give (reg 34(2)(a)). Fractions of a penny of one half or more round up (reg 6). Not sure of your gross pay? Our salary calculator shows it beside take-home pay.
Other children
If the paying parent or their partner gets Child Benefit for other children, income is treated as reduced by 11% for one, 14% for two and 16% for three or more before the basic rate percentages are applied (para 2(3)). On the reduced rate they change the percentage instead: for one child it falls from 17% to 14.1%, 13.2% or 12.4% (reg 43). Children the paying parent supports under a court order or a regular family arrangement count differently: the amount is worked out as if they were included, then only the share for the children in this calculation is payable, with a £7 minimum (para 5A, reg 48).
Shared care: overnight stays
On the basic and reduced rates, the amount falls with the number of nights a year the child stays with the paying parent (para 7):
| Nights a year | Reduction for that child |
|---|---|
| 52 to 103 | One-seventh |
| 104 to 155 | Two-sevenths |
| 156 to 174 | Three-sevenths |
| 175 or more | One-half, then a further £7 a week for each such child |
- With more than one child, the fractions are added up and divided by the number of children (para 7(5)).
- Shared care cannot take the weekly amount below £7 (para 7(7)).
- On the flat rate because of a benefit, 52 or more nights a year makes the amount nil (para 8). On the flat rate because income is £100 a week or less, overnight stays make no difference.
- The CMS counts the nights expected over the next 12 months, based on a court order, an agreement or the pattern of the past year (reg 46). If the parents agree care is shared but not how much, it can assume one night a week (reg 47).
- Equal care. A parent is the paying parent only if they provide day-to-day care to a lesser extent than the applicant, and an applicant who gets Child Benefit is assumed to provide more unless there is evidence otherwise (reg 50). So where care is genuinely equal, nothing is payable.
Benefits that trigger the flat rate, and the nil rate
The flat rate of £7 applies, whatever the paying parent earns, if they get any of these (reg 44(1)): Category A, B, C or D Retirement Pension; the new State Pension; Incapacity Benefit; Carer's Allowance; Carer Support Payment (Scotland); Maternity Allowance; Severe Disablement Allowance; Industrial Injuries Benefit; Widowed Mother's Allowance; Widowed Parent's Allowance; Widow's Pension; contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance; contributory Employment and Support Allowance; a training allowance (other than work-based training for young people or Skillseekers); a war disablement pension, war widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's war pension; Armed Forces compensation scheme payments; or a social security benefit paid by another country.
It also applies if they or their partner get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, or Universal Credit calculated on the basis that the paying parent has no earned income (reg 44(2)). If the partner is also a paying parent with a calculation in force, each pays half the flat rate (para 4(2), reg 44(3)). Universal Credit with earnings does not trigger the flat rate: the normal calculation applies.
A paying parent on a reg 44(1) benefit who also has income of more than £100 a week can be asked to pay more through a variation (reg 70). The nil rate applies below £7 a week, and to a paying parent who is a child, a prisoner, aged 16 or 17 and on certain income-related benefits or Universal Credit with no earned income, on work-based training for young people, or living in a care home or independent hospital in the circumstances set out in reg 45.
Worked examples
- £35,000 a year, one child. £35,000 ÷ 365 × 7 = £671.23 a week. Basic rate 12%: £80.55 a week, about £4,189 a year. If the child stays 104 nights a year, two-sevenths comes off: £57.53 a week.
- £60,000 a year, two children, one other child at home. £1,150.68 a week, treated as £1,024.11 after the 11% reduction. That is over £800, so 16% of £800 plus 12% of the rest: £154.89 a week.
- £9,000 a year, one child. £172.60 a week is on the reduced rate: £7 + 17% of the income above £100 = £19.34 a week.
- On Universal Credit with no earnings, two children. Flat rate £7.00 a week, however many children. If either child stays at least 52 nights a year: £0.00.
DWP's leaflet gives its own examples, which this calculator reproduces: £600 a week for two children is £96; £1,000 a week for two children is £152; £173 a week for two children with one other child is £22.48 (DWP, How we work out child maintenance).
Fees: Direct Pay and Collect and Pay
- No application fee. The application fee in Part 2 of the Child Support Fees Regulations 2014 was removed from 26 February 2024 (SI 2024/87 reg 7).
- Direct Pay is free: the CMS works out the amount and the paying parent pays the other parent directly.
- Collect and Pay: the paying parent pays a collection fee of 20% on top, and the receiving parent has 4% taken off each payment (Child Support Fees Regulations 2014 reg 7; gov.uk). The CMS can move a case to Collect and Pay if the paying parent does not pay in full and on time.
- Planned, not law. In June 2025 the government said it would remove Direct Pay and change the fees to 2% for receiving parents, 2% for paying parents who pay on time and 20% for those who do not. It said this "will require changes to legislation which will be dependent on Parliamentary approval", aiming for 2027 to 2028 (DWP government response). No bill to do this was before Parliament when we checked on 29 October 2026, so the current fees and Direct Pay still apply.
- If the CMS cannot get income information it can make a default decision of £39 a week for one child, £51 for two and £64 for three or more (reg 49).
Related
- Divorce finances: the fee, pensions, the home and Capital Gains Tax on transfers.
- Pension sharing orders on divorce.
- Cohabiting partners' rights when a relationship ends.
- Universal Credit calculator, for either parent's household.
- Claiming Child Benefit, which decides who counts as an "other child" here.
Frequently asked questions
How much child maintenance will I pay for one child?
On the basic rate, 12% of gross weekly income up to £800 and 9% of income above that, up to £3,000 a week. Income over £3,000 a week is ignored. The amount is lower if you have other children you get Child Benefit for, or if the child stays with you overnight at least 52 nights a year.
What is the flat rate of child maintenance?
£7 a week. It applies if the paying parent's gross weekly income is £100 or less, or if they get one of the benefits, pensions or allowances listed in regulation 44 of the 2012 Regulations, such as State Pension, Carer's Allowance, contributory ESA or Universal Credit with no earned income. Only one flat rate is paid however many children there are.
How do overnight stays reduce child maintenance?
For the basic and reduced rates the weekly amount for each child falls by one-seventh at 52 to 103 nights a year, two-sevenths at 104 to 155, three-sevenths at 156 to 174, and one-half plus £7 at 175 or more. It cannot go below £7 a week.
Do I pay child maintenance if care is shared 50/50?
No. The Child Maintenance Service treats a parent as the paying parent only if they provide day-to-day care to a lesser extent than the other parent. If care is equal, neither is the paying parent. If the parent who applied gets Child Benefit, they are assumed to provide more care unless there is evidence otherwise.
Does the Child Maintenance Service charge fees?
There is no application fee: it was abolished from 26 February 2024. Direct Pay, where the paying parent pays the other parent directly, is free. On Collect and Pay the paying parent pays an extra 20% and the receiving parent loses 4% of each payment. The government plans to change this, but that needs new legislation.
Does this calculator work for Northern Ireland?
No. It follows the Child Support Act 1991 rules used by the Child Maintenance Service for England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland cases are handled separately. Use the guidance and calculator on nidirect.