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Original poster

Receiving child maintenance once child has gone to university ?

265 replies

Bernie54 · 24/04/2025 16:38

Hi, can I ask if anyone still receives child maintenance from their ex once the child has gone to university ?

My Daughter (18) goes to university in September, she lives full time with me atm, and will stay with me when she returns for the holidays. Our original maintenance agreement states to pay until 2028, with regular reviews etc.

AIBU to expect this to continue? At least in the holidays anyway? Anyone else in this situation. For context I’m a low earner. He is not.

OP posts:
Suns1nE · 24/04/2025 17:03

It will be his choice. He doesn’t have to pay once they leave full time education (uni doesn’t count). If he’s reasonable he will continue to support his child but I would imagine that will be by sending money to them and not to you. Your finances aren’t his concern.

Original poster
Bernie54 · 24/04/2025 17:03

ThejoyofNC · 24/04/2025 16:53

It's not his problem you're a low earner. No he shouldn't continue to pay.

Actually it is his problem. Our DD is adopted and also neurodivergent….i had a good career (a nurse) prior to the adoption but we decided her needs were so great that I would leave my career and focus on our daughter, she flourished from this and I had the time to fight for her EHCP, therapy etc. He then had an affair and left me, I had been out of work 10 years + he was earning £100K+ me £0. My registration was gone, I managed to get a job as a TA in a school. Him and his new wife earn a lot between them. Daughter prefers to live with me and I will be paying for her for the weeks she is at home. Why shouldn’t he still contribute when she is at home and then at uni send it to her??

OP posts:
Newgirls · 24/04/2025 16:59

I’ve had friends really struggle with this as the maintenance helped pay for the ‘main’ home and bills. Students do spend a lot of time at home and not at uni. But yes it’s normal to end payments to the resident parent

Curioushoney · 24/04/2025 16:58

Eternally grateful for my very high earning ex husband

never a whiff of complaint about maintenance

BoredZelda · 24/04/2025 16:57

Regardless of any agreement of maintenance, what your child receives at uni in terms of loans for living expenses is calculated based on a 25% parental contribution. It is for your daughter to decide what that goes towards.

Daisy12Maisie · 24/04/2025 16:57

He won’t have to pay it but hopefully he will pay her something directly. My son is 16 but wants to go to uni to do a particular course. I am doing everything I can to scrape together some money for him and his dad who earns £100, 000 has said he won’t help him out financially when he doesn’t have to legally.
our son says he assumes/ hopes that is a joke and if not he won’t bother to go and see his dad as he thinks that is disgraceful behaviour. I’m inclined to agree but will leave it up to him. So if your daughter’s dad doesn’t help her out at uni then he won’t make himself look very good to her. (Obviously completely different if he was out of work of struggling for whatever reason but if he is a high earner not helping her just because he doesn’t want to she won’t be impressed.).

Curioushoney · 24/04/2025 16:55

I will be until 21

Whatsgoingonherethenagain · 24/04/2025 16:54

Yes it should be paid to your dd for her uni expenses.

your income is not his problem.

Ponderingwindow · 24/04/2025 16:54

My father paid maintenance directly to me. Both my parents believed very strongly in helping their children financially during university so they put it in their court order and neither of them argued about it.

SilviaSnuffleBum · 24/04/2025 16:54

IMHO, it should go directly to a DC once at uni. There's no way I'd continue to expect to receive it directly thereafter and would have to accommodate this financial change in advance. It would be very unreasonable to expect it to remain 'til 2028.

bigboykitty · 24/04/2025 16:54

If your financial order states it will continue for another 3 years, then this is what should happen. Your ex can apply to vary this though, I believe, and may do so as it extends beyond CMS child maintenance.

ThejoyofNC · 24/04/2025 16:53

It's not his problem you're a low earner. No he shouldn't continue to pay.

BashfulClam · 24/04/2025 16:53

Most cases I know the maintenance has been paid to the child once they get to uni. As the money is to pay for them.

Azandme · 24/04/2025 16:52

If it does continue it should go to your dd to maintain herself at uni.

My dad continued mine, and direcy paid it to me. Dds dad plans to do the same.

Flowers1985 · 24/04/2025 16:51

The child maintenance service states that maintenance doesn't need to be paid if a child.is at uni and I believe this overrides a court order that's more than 12 months old.

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