Would you /do you get child maintenance in this circumstance ?

Childmaintenanceq1 · 2025-04-21T18:23:47+00:00

50:50 custody parent A - earns 50k parent B - earns 69k would there be child maintenance or no? Anyone similar? Posting here for traffic.

mindutopia · 21/04/2025 21:50

If the lower earner was paying for all or most of the school trips, lunches, holiday childcare, clothes, shoes, hobbies, classes and activities, I would expect the higher earner to reimburse for those costs proportionately to income. Dh and I pay jointly for dc’s costs proportionate to our incomes. It wouldn’t suddenly be fair for me to have to pay them all on my own just because we were to divorce. There are ways to do this that don’t necessarily involve paying “maintenance” though.

Rainbowqueeen · 21/04/2025 21:45

I’d say not necessarily maintenance but I’d expect the higher earner to pay for all school uniform and clubs

cadburyegg · 21/04/2025 21:41

Is it truly 50/50? Is everything truly split this way?

Things like winter coats, shoes, uniform and stuff that goes between houses - are expenses genuinely 50/50?

Who takes children to dentist, doctors, opticians, hospital, hairdresser appointments? What about sick days, is it always the parent who has the child that day that has to take the day off? It may well be genuinely 50/50, but if it’s the case that the lower earning parent does the majority of these then I’d argue there could be a case for maintenance.

HidingFromDD · 21/04/2025 21:33

I was in a similar position (although more like 35/60). We used cms calculator to work out what would be due if each parent had children 100% and then the higher earner paid half the difference to the lower earner. Lower earner also got child benefit. That felt fair to us both. Reviewed it every pay rise.

Original poster

Childmaintenanceq1 · 21/04/2025 21:03

Thank you.

OP posts:

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:51

RebeccaRedhat · 21/04/2025 20:40

My friend has 50/50 custody however she does receive maintenance as because she sacrificed her career for their children, her husband was able to become a high earner, as he never had to worry about childcare etc. She does work but has a minimum wage jo so the dad does pay through cms. Not at all a money grab. She gave up her job to look after the children due to childcare costs, and is therefore 9 years later, starting out as a single parent with very little experience. Had she not gave up her job to look after their children she would be in a much financial.position to provide for her kids

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So she's not on £50k then.

Kind of missing the point there...

RebeccaRedhat · 21/04/2025 20:40

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:10

They are virtually identical salaries and exactly identical childcare arrangements. No one gets anything.

Why are people so fucking grabby.

My friend has 50/50 custody however she does receive maintenance as because she sacrificed her career for their children, her husband was able to become a high earner, as he never had to worry about childcare etc. She does work but has a minimum wage jo so the dad does pay through cms. Not at all a money grab. She gave up her job to look after the children due to childcare costs, and is therefore 9 years later, starting out as a single parent with very little experience. Had she not gave up her job to look after their children she would be in a much financial.position to provide for her kids

PaintYourAssLikeRembrandt · 21/04/2025 20:38

SpainToday · 21/04/2025 20:35

The lower earner may be able to get a small amount from the higher earner. The only way to check properly would to be to contact CMS and get the ball rolling.

But what sort of income difference do you need to have, for the higher earner to be required to pay maintenance in a 50/50?

I've known of it happen in less than 19k of a difference.

It wasn't a lot, and it destroyed their coparenting arrangement though.

The only way to know for sure is contact CMS.

ARichtGoodDram · 21/04/2025 20:37

But what sort of income difference do you need to have, for the higher earner to be required to pay maintenance in a 50/50?

Usually it's with the higher earning sums beyond CMS's cap.

SpainToday · 21/04/2025 20:35

The lower earner may be able to get a small amount from the higher earner. The only way to check properly would to be to contact CMS and get the ball rolling.

But what sort of income difference do you need to have, for the higher earner to be required to pay maintenance in a 50/50?

MyUmberSeal · 21/04/2025 20:30

Thats pretty much a naff all difference in income. Maintenance should be nonexistent for either party.

PaintYourAssLikeRembrandt · 21/04/2025 20:30

The lower earner may be able to get a small amount from the higher earner. The only way to check properly would to be to contact CMS and get the ball rolling.

However you need to decide if a decent coparenting arrangement is worth a few quid a month.

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:27

ToKittyornottoKitty · 21/04/2025 20:26

You are living a very privileged life if you think 19k is nothing. That doesn’t change no maintenance being due, but it is not a virtually identical salary.

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Someone on £50k is living virtually the identical standard as someone on £69k.

It's not being privileged to know that.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 21/04/2025 20:27

SpainToday · 21/04/2025 20:25

I think there should be no maintenance. But seriously there is a 19k difference, that is not virtually identical!

But surely it’s not a case of ‘no maintenance with 50/50 unless both parties have identical salaries’?

Not even sure what you are getting at. No maintenance is due on their salaries with 50:50 care, that’s just factual.

19k is not virtually nothing, that’s also factual.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 21/04/2025 20:26

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:24

They pretty much are.

It's not one person on £22k and the other on £450k is it. It's bugger all difference to try and claim the poor relative stance.

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You are living a very privileged life if you think 19k is nothing. That doesn’t change no maintenance being due, but it is not a virtually identical salary.

SpainToday · 21/04/2025 20:25

I think there should be no maintenance. But seriously there is a 19k difference, that is not virtually identical!

But surely it’s not a case of ‘no maintenance with 50/50 unless both parties have identical salaries’?

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:24

ToKittyornottoKitty · 21/04/2025 20:16

I think there should be no maintenance. But seriously there is a 19k difference, that is not virtually identical!

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They pretty much are.

It's not one person on £22k and the other on £450k is it. It's bugger all difference to try and claim the poor relative stance.

ZoggyStirdust · 21/04/2025 20:22

BallerinaRadio · 21/04/2025 20:15

The CMS calculator would give you a more accurate answer than Mumsnet and be quicker too

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No the cms calculator doesn’t work for 50:50. It’s says some is due to whichever party puts their details on.

on this occasion mn is right. Nothing due

Wingingit11 · 21/04/2025 20:19

No maintenance as such but need to agree how costs are split on things like uniform shoes clubs etc

ToKittyornottoKitty · 21/04/2025 20:16

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:10

They are virtually identical salaries and exactly identical childcare arrangements. No one gets anything.

Why are people so fucking grabby.

I think there should be no maintenance. But seriously there is a 19k difference, that is not virtually identical!

BallerinaRadio · 21/04/2025 20:15

Childmaintenanceq1 · 21/04/2025 19:57

No one?😅

The CMS calculator would give you a more accurate answer than Mumsnet and be quicker too

SpainToday · 21/04/2025 20:14

MouldyCandy · 21/04/2025 20:08

Child Benefit should also potentially be split 50:50.

I assume you have to sort this out yourselves, rather than two claims for 50/50?

LePetitMaman · 21/04/2025 20:10

They are virtually identical salaries and exactly identical childcare arrangements. No one gets anything.

Why are people so fucking grabby.

Deargodletitgo · 21/04/2025 20:10

I'm in this situation, neither of us pay the other maintenance

MouldyCandy · 21/04/2025 20:08

Child Benefit should also potentially be split 50:50.