UK Child Maintenance Calculator
Use our child maintenance calculator to estimate how much financial support one parent may need to provide to the other following separation.
Section A: Identify the Parties
Section B: Income Details
Section C: Rate Category Check
Section D: Shared Care
Using our free child maintenance calculator
Our easy-to-use UK child maintenance calculator helps you estimate payments based on key details like income, number of children and custody arrangements. To calculate child maintenance, just enter basic information about both parents and how many nights the child stays with each one.
This tool is designed to align with official guidelines in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, making it easier to understand your responsibilities or entitlements. Whether you’re paying or receiving support, our child maintenance service calculator provides a useful estimate in minutes.
How is child maintenance calculated?
It’s important to understand how to calculate child maintenance, whether you’re aiming for an informal agreement or using the statutory service. Using a child maintenance calculation tool like ours can help set expectations and avoid misunderstandings.
So, how is child maintenance calculated? The basic calculation takes into account:
- The paying parent’s gross weekly income
- The number of children requiring support
- How many nights the children spend with each parent
- Whether the paying parent is supporting any other children
Adjustments may be made for shared care and other financial obligations. Our calculator for child maintenance uses these factors to estimate what a fair contribution might look like, based on standard guidance from the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).
Some parents also consider a child maintenance fuel calculator if long-distance travel is involved for shared custody or visitation – while not an official part of the CMS calculation, it’s something that can be discussed during private arrangements.
Child maintenance calculator FAQs
You can use our free UK child maintenance calculator to get an estimate based on your income and shared care arrangements. It mirrors the Child Maintenance Service formula, giving you a clear starting point.
No, the estimate from our calculator is not legally binding. However, it can guide discussions or help you decide whether to arrange payments privately or go through the CMS.
Yes. Many parents agree on payments privately, using a child maintenance calculator UK tool to support their decision. These are known as family-based arrangements.
If you can’t agree, the Child Maintenance Service can calculate and collect payments on your behalf, using their set formula.
While not officially part of the CMS formula, some parents use a child maintenance fuel calculator to factor in significant travel expenses. This can be helpful in private agreements.
Absolutely. While Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own legal systems, The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses a UK-wide standard formula. So, you’ll have no problems using our child maintenance calculator in Scotland or Northern Ireland – as well as England and Wales.
