Child Maintenance Calculator

Estimate weekly, monthly and yearly child maintenance using the Child Maintenance Service rates for England, Scotland and Wales, including shared care.

Reviewed by Dany, RightSums team · Updated

Runs in your browser. Free, no sign-up.

personal-finance · Daily life · UK

Enter the paying parent's gross income, the number of children, any other children living with them and how many nights a year each child stays over. The calculator picks the rate the Child Maintenance Service would use (nil, flat, reduced, basic or basic plus), takes off the reduction for other children in the household, applies the shared care fractions and the extra £7 a week for 175 nights or more, and shows the weekly, monthly and yearly amount with every step explained. It covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own service. This is an estimate only. The service's own calculation is final, and parents can agree any amount in a family-based arrangement.

Accepted inputs

  • Paying parent's gross income (per year, month or week)
  • Personal pension contributions
  • Qualifying benefits (yes or no)
  • Number of children the calculation is for
  • Other children living with the paying parent
  • Children paid for with another parent
  • Overnight stays a year for each child

Outputs

  • Weekly child maintenance estimate
  • Average monthly and yearly amount
  • Rate band used
  • Gross weekly income used
  • Step-by-step working
  • What the estimate does not include

How to use the Child Maintenance Calculator

  1. Enter the paying parent's gross income before tax, and any personal pension payments that an employer has not already taken off.
  2. Add the number of children the calculation is for, other children living with the paying parent and any children they pay for with another parent.
  3. Choose how many nights a year each child stays with the paying parent, and tick the box if they get a benefit such as Universal Credit with no earnings.
  4. Read the estimated weekly, monthly and yearly amount, with each step of the Child Maintenance Service formula set out below it.

Frequently asked questions

How much child maintenance will I pay on £30,000 a year?

About £69.04 a week for one child, or £299.18 in an average month. The service turns £30,000 into £575.34 a week (÷ 365 × 7) and takes 12%. With two children it is 16% (£92.05 a week), and with three or more it is 19% (£109.32 a week), before any shared care reduction.

How is child maintenance calculated in the UK?

The Child Maintenance Service uses the paying parent's gross weekly income. Below £7 a week nothing is due, £7 to £100 pays a flat £7, £100 to £200 pays a reduced rate, and £200 or more pays 12%, 16% or 19% for one, two or three or more children. Income above £800 a week is charged at 9%, 12% or 15%.

How does shared care reduce child maintenance?

Overnight stays cut the amount by one-seventh at 52 to 103 nights a year, two-sevenths at 104 to 155, three-sevenths at 156 to 174 and a half at 175 or more, plus £7 a week per child at that top band. On £30,000 with one child, 104 nights brings £69.04 down to £49.32 a week, and 175 nights to £27.52.

Do other children living with me reduce my child maintenance?

Yes. If you or your partner get Child Benefit for other children in your home, your income is treated as 11% lower for one child, 14% for two and 16% for three or more. On £30,000 a year with one child to pay for and one at home, the estimate drops from £69.04 to £61.45 a week.

Is the child maintenance calculator result what I will have to pay?

No, it is an estimate of the statutory calculation. The Child Maintenance Service's own figure is final: it uses HMRC income data and can add variations, such as special expenses, which this tool leaves out. Parents can also make a family-based arrangement for any amount they agree. Northern Ireland uses the nidirect calculator instead.

Sources

The rates and rules in this tool come from:

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