Parents to be fined for payment failures

Parents are to be handed penalties if they fail to make their child maintenance payments as part of a new maintenance system being introduced by the Government.

It comes after the abolition of the much-criticised Child Support Agency and aims to encourage separated parents to sort out their own payment arrangements.

The fines include a £300 penalty when a liability order has to be obtained from the courts and a £200 surcharge when money has to be taken directly from bank accounts using a deduction order.

Those who apply to the Child Maintenance Service will be required to pay an initial £20 collection fee plus additional collection fees thereafter. The paying parent will be charged 20% on top of each assessed payment, plus a further 7% deducted from the amount the receiving parent is given.

The Government is to also spend £20 million on support services, including mediation, counselling and online advice, to help parents come to their own arrangements.

Our Family and Matrimonial team helps families across West London and Bucks. For advice, contact a member of the team, call us on 01494 790007 or email enquiries@ibblaw.co.uk.