The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) requires parents to report any changes to a child's living arrangements, as these can impact child maintenance payments. Two key factors are who provides most of a child's day-to-day care and the number of nights a child stays with each parent.
The parent providing most of a child's day-to-day care typically receives payments. This includes responsibilities such as being an emergency contact for school, looking after the child outside school hours, providing essentials, and arranging medical appointments or activities. The CMS also considers who receives Child Benefit or other government financial support.
If the main carer changes, for example, if both parents begin sharing day-to-day care equally, or if another person becomes the main carer, the CMS must be informed. Such changes can mean the previously paying parent no longer needs to make regular payments for that child, or a new main carer may need to apply for maintenance.
The number of overnight stays with the paying parent can also reduce child maintenance payments if it totals 52 nights or more per year. This is known as overnight shared care. Parents should keep records of overnight stays, as changes to the yearly total can affect the weekly average and the maintenance calculation.