Who pays for childcare on his days?

[FatAntelope]

I'm just trying to do some budgetting.

If my STBX had our children on two week days and alternate weekends. Would he have to pay for the wrap around childcare on his days? Or would I be expected to pay for it out of his child maintenance?

Thaks

I think he should pay for it on his days. He will pay less child maintenance based on having them three days a week. However if you will qualify for UC top ups, then it might be better if you paid it and then claimed back 85% of the cost. Your exdh could take on a different cost like weekly swimming lessons at the weekend for example.

Surely he does, as his child support payment to you is based on you having them 5 days and alternate weekends. It doesn’t include costs during his days. This is a rather extreme version of ‘childcare is the woman’s problem’! Does he think childcare is your responsibility even on his days?

He is responsible for paying for the childcare on his days.

However, would you be entitled to child maintenance if you are sharing care? He will have the kids 6 days a fortnight, which is almost 50:50.

He's responsible for paying for childcare on his days but be careful.

Depending on how the childcare provider is paid plus how the pick ups and drop offs are done you can end up paying. If the childcare provider is paid per session then it is much easier to make him pay.

He should be he probably won't and the provider won't want to be dealing with both of you to chase payments if its the same place they like to have one person responsible for the bill

Depends how amicable you are really. Its worth looking into which of you would be eligible for the tax free child care etc and ideally you'd work it out so it was cheapest and work as a team towards that.

On his days he is responsible for the children, for making them meals, washing their clothes, paying for any childcare or clubs/activities they do. Attending to any homework they get. You just focus on days you have them as he will be paying less maintenance for days he has them.

It's amicable. I'm would physically be paying it as I have the tax free childcare account.

I'm just trying to work out what I could afford on a mortgage on my own. So trying to cover all bases.

His days are his responsibility and if you are paying it direct for ease this should be in addition to maintenance

I think you would have to make sure he agrees he should be paying. You shouldn't have to but its the sort of thing that causes arguments.

Thanks everyone 😊

His days are his responsibility.

He's not paying child maintenance for the days he has them so yes he pays.

As with most things about kids and costs, there is no definitive answer you can point to that will satisfy the most sceptical. So, it probably does come down to amicability and common sense, and hopefully both of you realising that the most costly childcare is really only for a few years of the kids' lives.

He does. They almost always try to get out of it though so be ready for that, I had it written into our CAO order that ex would pay on his days.

It’s taken 3 months of nagging to get him to actually cough up though.

We aren’t amicable though. Money is a tool used to abuse me further.