Setting up child maintenance

This section is to help parents decide if they should use the services of the CSA or agree their own maintenance arrangements privately.

Private arrangement

A private arrangement is where you and your ex-partner decide between you how much child maintenance should be paid.

Is it for you?

Private arrangements won’t suit everybody. Use our self-assessment tool to see if it will suit you.

Using the CSA

We can help you by working out how much maintenance should be paid and collecting the maintenance payments on your behalf.

What we need to know

When we work out how much child maintenance should be paid, we will ask both parents some questions to get the information we need.

On benefits?

If you claim Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, it could affect the amount of child maintenance you would receive or pay.

Child benefit

If you receive child benefit for your children, this does not affect how much child maintenance should be paid.