Child Maintenance

[JRides]

When I divorced my husband he agreed, through a court order, to pay child maintenance until my daughter was 16 or 21 if she attended full time education. In 2010 my ex-husband died and left a dependent pension for my daughter which is also payable until she is 21, if in full time education. I had a recent conversation with my daughter who turns 18 this February. She told me that some girls at her school are being paid the maintenance direct to them once they turn 18. She is going to University in September and I think she thinks she will be getting paid this pension directly to her. If I do pay her direct I will have to move from the house I am in as I now live on Housing Benefit having retired in 2006 on ill health grounds. It is my understanding that, once my daughter leaves to go to University and she is no longer living with me then I will have to move to a one bedroomed property as I will only get HB for one bedroom. Is this standard procedure? Should I be paying this to my daughter? I would love to know anybody else's experiences?

Tough one

Look at the terms of the pension. Might have the answer in there.

Child maintenance at this age is usually paid to the parent but that isn't what you've got here. You will be providing her with a home for perhaps one third of the year. Could you agree something with her, say that she takes two thirds of this and you take the other third?

Have thought about that. She would be happy with that as she's is very sensible and not your typical teenager. I just wanted to find out if anyone else had a similar situation and what they did. I've always seen the dependent's pension as the child maintenace I would have continued to receive if my husband was alive. But would he be insisting now that it be paid direct to his daughter? Don't know. Thanks for your help.

Sorry, but meant to say that CM is usually paid to the child at this age.

Thanks for that. Very helpful :)