Decision Makers Guide for Child Maintenance

Introduction

Abbreviations | Legislation

Basic Principles

The Duty to Maintain | Welfare of the Child | Meaning of Certain Terms | Relevant Other Child | Child of the Family or Child Abroad | Child Supported Under Family Based Arrangement | Shared Care | Court Orders | Initial Effective Dates | Effective Dates - Effective Dates Table | Service Types and Methods of Payment | Charging Fees

Maintenance Calculations

Maintenance Calculation Overview | Historic Income | Current Income - Employed | Current Income - Self-employed | Universal Credit | Umbrella Companies | Other Factors Affecting the Maintenance Calculation | Estimating Current Income | Rates and Rules | Default Maintenance Decisions

Variations

Variations Overview | Contact Costs | Illness or Disability of a Relevant Other Child | Prior Debts | Boarding School Fees | Certain Payments | Unearned Income | Assets Exceeding a Prescribed Value | Earned Income | Diversion of Income

Information Gathering

Applications | Information Gathering | Last Known or Last Notified Address | Credit Reference Agency Disclosure | Verification of Death

Review and Appeals

Revisions | Supersessions | Income Reviews | Parentage Disputes | Correction of Decisions | Mandatory Reconsideration | Appeals

Collection and Enforcement

Unlikely to Pay | Direct Non Scheme Payments | Payment Allocation | Arrears Method of Collection | The Debt Steer | Enforcement and Collection of 1993/ 2003 Schemes Debt on Child Maintenance Service | Deduction from Earnings Orders and Deduction from Earnings Requests | Deduction Orders | Suspending or Pausing Collection of Child Maintenance Arrears | Offsetting | Overpayments | Voluntary Payments | Recovery from Deceased Estates | Part Payments | Arrears Write Off | 1993/ 2003 Schemes Arrears Write Off - Manual Representation | 1993/ 2003 Schemes Arrears Write Off - Non-resident Parent or Parent with Care Deceased

Northern Ireland Rules

Legal Enforcement | Liability Orders | Order Appointing Receivers and Garnishee Orders | Order Charging Land | Order for Delivery of Possession of Land | Seizure Orders | Sanctions

Evidence and Decision Making

Evidence and Decision Making | Evidence - Income | Evidence - Variations | Evidence - Other Factors Affecting the Maintenance Calculation | Evidence - Collection and Enforcement

Supplementary Information

Annex A - Client Contact | Annex B - Court Proceedings | Annex C - Notifications | Annex D - Understanding Employed and Self-employed Earners