What Age Do Child Maintenance Payments Stop?

Q.

Can you please tell me at what age do payments actually stop for child maintenance? My daughter has turned 16 but is looking to go to 6th form.

A.

Child maintenance payments are put in place to make sure that both parents are paying a fair amount towards the upbringing of their child. This may be agreed privately between the parents, but more often is calculated by the Child Support Agency (CSA).

The non-resident parent will have to pay an agreed percentage of their monthly income to the resident parent who is responsible for the everyday care of the child. If there is joint residency or the non-resident parent looks after the child for a number of days each week, then this will reduce the payments.

Every parent has the basic responsibility to provide for their child up until the age of sixteen when they are legally allowed to leave school and get a job. After this age, it depends what your child chooses to do. If they continue in full time education, such as going into sixth form and studying for A levels, then your maintenance payments will continue until your child finishes. This will usually be the end of the school year when they turn 18. If they carry on to further education or university then you are committed to maintenance payments until the end of the school year when they turn 19. There are certain higher education courses, such as apprenticeships, that do not count as full time education so it is important that you check with the CSA.

If your daughter changes her mind and decides that she wants to get a job and not continue in full time education – which includes studying for 12 hours or more a week - then your payments would end in the September after her final school term. If they have officially come to an end then you may still want to continue supporting your child. However, it will then be your choice about how much you pay and also in what way. You will no longer have to pay the money to your ex and may consider helping your child in other ways. Even after they have left school it is important to be supportive, both financially and emotionally, as they find their feet in the adult world.

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