The government has announced some changes to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), following campaigning by groups like Gingerbread (their #FixTheCMS campaign). There is one step forward, one disappointment, and one thing still stuck in the queue.
The step forward: recalculations will be easier to trigger (25% to 15%)
At the moment, once your maintenance is set, the CMS will only recalculate it between the annual reviews if your income goes up or down by at least 25%. That is called the tolerance, and a lot of parents find it unfair: your income can change quite a bit without the figure being updated.
The government has announced that this threshold will drop from 25% to 15%. In plain terms, a smaller change in income will be enough to get the maintenance recalculated, so the figure should track real life more closely. That cuts both ways and is good for paying and receiving parents alike.
The disappointment: the calculation review has been dropped
A promised consultation on how the amount itself is worked out will now not go ahead. That review was expected to look at things like unearned income and assets, the well-known gap where a parent who is asset-rich but shows little salary can be assessed to pay very little. Many separated parents see the calculation as unfair, so dropping the review is a real letdown.
Still pending: removing Direct Pay
The bigger reform, including removing Direct Pay so payments run through the CMS, is still on the horizon. But progress has been slow and the government has not given a firm timeline.
Quick myth-check on “15%”
To be clear, the 15% here is the recalculation trigger, not a payment rate. The standard rates that decide how much you pay are unchanged: roughly 12% for one child, 16% for two, and 19% for three or more of gross weekly income. See the child maintenance guide for how the figure is built up.
Is it in force? Check before you rely on it
These are announcements. Timelines are not firm, so until each change actually takes effect the current rules still apply (the 25% threshold, Direct Pay, and the existing calculation). We will update this and the guide as things land.
What this does not change: maintenance is money for the children, and it stays separate from contact. Don’t stop or reduce payments in anticipation of reforms that are not yet in force.
Source
These changes were announced by the government and set out by Gingerbread as part of its #FixTheCMS campaign. See Gingerbread’s news and views.
Information, not legal advice. Check the official sources for the current position before you rely on anything here.