As main carer how much maintenance do you receive for one child?

[Nikitasol]

Just that really. My ex is messing about with money and we're already on the breadline. I'm wondering how much other main carers get on the whole?

I know about the government calculator etc but would be good to get a general idea other then that.

I've got one dc.

Well I get £300 for 3 children...

It can only be based on the paying parent's income.

£150 (I think he earns approx £300 a week) for one child calculated by the child maintenance people paid £20 for them to assess how much and reassess annually and then ex transfers the money by standing order. If he didn't and missed his payment date I can just tell the child maintenance people - they will backdate it and take him to court if necessary. Its worth paying and having a 'middle man' as it reduces animosity, we don't discuss money at all this way.

£217 a month for one child.

Single how often does your dc stay overnight?

I ask because I receive £100 a month, but ex has another NR child and ours stays over 10 nights per month. We’ve never gone through CMS. Pretty sure he earns more than £300 a week too.

Ex has no other children and earns £36000 pa. He says he has no money and wants to reduce it. Currently getting £200pcm but was due to go up to £300 this month.

He has him one night a week and every other weekend.

He told me in mediation on Friday that I'm 'leeching off him'

No good asking what others get as it’s dependent on the number of children, the net salary of the NRP, how many nights the NRP has the children for, if they spend more than £10 a week on travel that can be deducted.

My OH pays £700 a month maintenance for 2 children. He has then EOW & half of the holidays. The CMS says he should pay £600 a month. According to the mother it isn’t enough.

I would use the CMS calculator if you know what he earns.

Thanks @northernspirit

My ex earns 36K and pays £475 pcm for 2 kids.

Use CMS. Not negotiable. Completely removes the power/emotion from any discussion. Call them tomorrow!

Thanks @strongerthanithought

Yep go to CMS ignore the comments re leeching off him, my ex does the same. No money for a month then he got pissed off because I went to CMS - best thing I did.

My ex earns around £35-40k and pays £450pcm for one child.

In theory it could be less as he has three other children at home and has DC around 8 nights a month.

He hasn't reduced it as he is generally a decent bloke and he also knows he did the dirty on me and it's guilt money!

I am very reasonable with him though and we do try and work together as much as possible for the sake of our DC. It works pretty well really.

My ex earns around £35k maybe a bit more and pays £500 per month for 2 children. I think it is about £15 above cms minimum and he doesn't adjust for how's daughter who lives with him since I pointed if out to him.

£200 amonth plus half of her school fees. He’s self employed and I have no idea how much he earns but I’m thankful he’s a good dad as if he wasn’t and I had to go through CMS I’d probably end up with nothing like I did with DS’s dad

He should be due to pay about £60 a week. Does he have other children in his household? They don't have to be his to be taken in to consideration.

Every other weekend - is this 2 overnight stays this weekend? This works out as 104 overnights in the year if so, band 2 for shared care purposes so a reduction of 2 nights per week of maintenance.

12% of 36k gross - £4320
Divided by 365 days in the year £11.8356
Multiplied by 7 days of the week £82.85
Minus the 2 overnight stays (averaged) £59

Nothing for 4 kids as ex doesn't work or claim benefits.

Thanks all. This is really helpful although hugely varied. Nuts that there isn't more consistency really and unfair for those who get nothing.

Zero, because ExDH is on benefits.

Your situation is identical to mine. I am due £274 a month and my ex was also staggered by the calculation. Let me quote from his text message ‘I don’t need to pay child maintainence, I thought that was only for men who don’t see their children or the mother doesn’t bother to work. How is my level of income relevant to how much it costs to feed and cloth a child. You work full time, so you have enough.’

Yup. I reproduced with a fucking wanker.

Ouch! That must have hurt.

My ex called me a leech on mediation on Friday because I wouldn't let him reduce the maintenance.

You’re not a leech. He just needs to step up to his responsibilities.

It gets worse once you see them plead poverty and then go off on holiday abroad with the latest girlfriend.

Stick to your guns!

The system is so wrong when one PP gets no child maintenance for four children and another gets hundreds a month for one how are five people meant to survive on one salary in this day and age?

Use the cms calculator . If he isn’t paying the legal minimum . Just go to cms .

Do not engage in discussions about it . Only repeat that is the legal minimum .