When can a private child maintenance agreement legally end?

[WhatchaSayyyyy]

Just wondered if anyone could advise when my ex could legally stop their monthly child maintenance payments (which have always been a verbal / private agreement).

Our child has just finished their higher education (A Levels) and will be turning 19 towards the end of the year.

Any advice would be appreciated 🙏🏻

Well if you mirror Child Benefit, it's when the new academic year starts if they do not remain in education, or their 19th birthday, if they do. But a decent parent would offer financial support till they're finished Uni if that was the plan. They don't suddenly stop eating and living at home once they're students.

Child benefit would end 31 August (assuming that your son isn’t working full time since exams ended)

Some non-residential parents seem to stomach child support better if they give it directly to the young person than to the residential parent.

It Sounds like there’s no formal agreement in place so I presume whenever they like. Payments through CMS stop at the end of August after they leave full time education.

If they are heading to university then when they start is fair, with maintenance going forward directly to the young person, if going into work when they start or start receiving benefits

A private agreement could be stopped anytime; there’s nothing binding in it. CMS wouldn’t open a case now, your best bet would be for your DC to ask their NRP to support them directly.

Anytime that they want, they aren't legally bound by anything

Yes, the August they leave school/6th form college. After that, you'd hope they'd support child's continuing education, if that's what they're planning, but it would go directly to the child.

Anytime as it’s a private agreement.