Guidance

Variations explained: a guide for receiving parents

Updated 27 October 2023

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Information for parents who receive child maintenance

You may have heard different terms used to describe the parents in a child maintenance case.

In child support law:

• the parent who receives child maintenance is known as the 바카라 사이트˜parent with care바카라 사이트™ - we call them the 바카라 사이트˜receiving parent바카라 사이트™
• the parent who pays child maintenance is known as the 바카라 사이트˜non-resident parent바카라 사이트™ - we call them the 바카라 사이트˜paying parent바카라 사이트™

Do we take any other information into account when we work out child maintenance?

Yes, but you or the paying parent have to ask us first. We call this 바카라 사이트˜applying for a variation바카라 사이트™.

You (or the paying parent) can ask us to look at certain types of the paying parent바카라 사이트™s income that are not included in the main rules we use to work out child maintenance.

This is called 바카라 사이트˜additional income바카라 사이트™. It can increase the paying parent바카라 사이트™s gross income figure that we use when we work out child maintenance.

The paying parent can ask us to take into account certain expenses they pay. These are called 바카라 사이트˜special expenses바카라 사이트™ and can reduce the paying parent바카라 사이트™s gross income figure that we use when we work out child maintenance.

You or the paying parent can apply for a variation at any time, either before or after a child maintenance amount is worked out.

A paying parent바카라 사이트™s additional income you can ask us to consider

You can apply for a variation for:

• 바카라 사이트˜unearned바카라 사이트™ income 바카라 사이트“ for example, rental income the paying parent gets from property or land, or dividends and interest from savings and investments. This type of income must be at least £2,500 a year
• 바카라 사이트˜notional income from assets바카라 사이트™ - this is income that we can work out the paying parent could get based on certain types of assets that they own if the asset바카라 사이트™s total value is £31,250 or more
• 바카라 사이트˜earned바카라 사이트™ income 바카라 사이트“ this is when the paying parent is getting benefits (and qualifies to pay Flat rate child maintenance) but also has gross income from a pension, employment or self- employment. This type of income must be at least £100 a week
• 바카라 사이트˜diversion바카라 사이트™ of income 바카라 사이트“ this is when you think the paying parent is controlling the amount of income they get by diverting it to another person or another purpose, which means it is not being included in the figure we use to work out child maintenance

Expenses a paying parent can ask us to consider

A paying parent can apply for a 바카라 사이트˜special expenses variation바카라 사이트™ for:

• the cost of keeping up regular contact with a child or children that qualify for child maintenance 바카라 사이트“ for example, the cost of fuel to travel between the home of the paying parent and the child that qualifies for child maintenance (must be at least £10 a week)
• costs connected with supporting a child with a disability or a long-term illness
• repaying debts from a former relationship 바카라 사이트“ for example, the paying parent is paying a car loan for a car the receiving parent has kept (must be at least £10 a week)
• boarding school fees for a child or children that qualify for child maintenance 바카라 사이트“ but only the everyday living costs or 바카라 사이트˜boarding바카라 사이트™ part of the fees (must be at least £10 a week)
• making payments on a mortgage, loan or insurance policy for the home that the paying parent and receiving parent used to share 바카라 사이트“ the receiving parent and the child or children must still live in the home, and the paying parent must have no legal or 바카라 사이트˜equitable바카라 사이트™ interest in it (must be at least £10 a week)

A paying parent can바카라 사이트™t ask us to take special expenses into account if their gross income is less than £7 a week or if they are getting benefits.

When either parent applies for a variation, we share the information they give us with the other parent. This allows us to get information from everyone involved before we make a decision.

We will also use other sources of information such as Companies House.

How to apply

You can apply for a variation at any time.

You can make an application for a variation over the phone in most cases. However, if the application is complicated we may ask you to apply in writing, using an application form.

It is very important that the application contains as much information as possible. The person applying must say why they are applying for a variation, or give us enough information for us to be able to see why they are applying. The only reasons for applying for a variation are given above and are set out in child support law.

Where can I get more information?

Go to for more information, or call us on 0800 171 2345 if you have any questions.

Important information about this factsheet

This factsheet is only a guide and does not cover every circumstance. It only refers to the statutory child maintenance scheme provided by the Child Maintenance Service. It does not refer to any child maintenance schemes provided by the Child Support Agency. 바카라 사이트˜Statutory바카라 사이트™ means set up under the law.

We have done our best to make sure the factsheet is correct as of September 2018, but it may not reflect changes to the law or to our procedures after this date. You may want to get independent advice before making financial decisions based on the content of this factsheet.

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