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Read more articles in: Blog, Family Law, Stuart Daniel
15 July 2026
The cost of living is hitting people across the UK particularly hard, as it can be challenging to keep up with rising bills.
Many tough budgeting decisions are being made, but something that cannot be cut is child maintenance.
If the other parent of your child has stopped paying child maintenance, you might be worried about how to cover the costs of the upcoming summer holidays.
Understanding what to do when child maintenance suddenly stops is vital for ensuring your legal rights are protected.
Generally, child maintenance cannot be stopped abruptly once it is established.
There may be specific factors that bring child maintenance to an end, such as the child reaching a certain age or leaving education, but these will have been determined ahead of time and should not be a surprise.
If the parent responsible for paying child maintenance can no longer afford it, they should make contact with you or the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) if they are the ones overseeing the arrangement.
Knowing that it is unlawful to stop paying child maintenance may be reassuring, but you need to know how to proceed to avoid being left in a difficult financial position.
Seeking professional legal advice is the best place to start, as this will be applicable regardless of how the child maintenance was established.
If the CMS are overseeing the issue, a solicitor can keep you informed on the process and ensure that you know how to appeal decisions that you feel are unjust.
The CMS have the power to ensure the other parent pays what they owe and can do this by taking money directly from their bank account, making direct deductions from their pay or benefits or by getting a court order for payments.
While it may not be possible to get all of the owed child maintenance in one go, the CMS should provide you with as much as is reasonable.
The other parent will be left with enough money to live on after other debts like mortgage repayments, rent, utility bills, taxes and court fines are taken into account.
In cases where you established a private agreement without the involvement of the CMS, solicitor support is even more important.
For divorcing parents, the child maintenance agreement can be reviewed and made legally binding through a Consent Order.
If a Consent Order is already in effect, a solicitor can help to enforce it either by supporting negotiations and mediation or representing you in court.
Our expert team are on hand to ensure that you are not left in difficulty due to missed child maintenance payments.
We understand how challenging these situations can be and work to resolve things effectively so that you can continue providing a good life for your child.
For compassionate support with child maintenance payment issues, get in touch with our team today.
