Child Maintenance Arrears Calculator
Instantly estimate total unpaid child maintenance, missed payments, and outstanding balances to help manage family finances and plan repayment.
Calculate Your Outstanding Arrears
Enter your child maintenance details below to get an instant, accurate estimate of total unpaid maintenance. This is useful for both paying and receiving parents to track shortfalls.
Arrears Estimator
Fill in your maintenance details to see your estimated outstanding balance
The agreed or CMS-assessed monthly amount
Total number of missed months
Any sporadic or reduced payments already made (optional)
Estimated Arrears Balance
Breakdown based on your provided figures
Understanding Child Maintenance Enforcement
If maintenance is managed through the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), they have several powers to recover unpaid arrears.
| Enforcement Action | How It Works | When It Is Used |
|---|---|---|
| Deduction from Earnings | Money is taken directly from the paying parent’s wages by their employer. | Early stage of arrears, regular employment. |
| Deduction from Bank Account | Funds are taken directly from the paying parent’s bank or building society account. | When wage deduction is not possible or fails. |
| Liability Order | A court order granting the CMS legal power to enforce debt collection. | When other methods fail or debt is significant. |
| Bailiffs / Enforcement Agents | Agents are instructed to visit the home to seize goods to sell at auction. | After a Liability Order is granted and debt remains. |
| Passport / Driving Licence | Application to disqualify the paying parent from holding a UK driving licence or passport. | Severe, persistent non-payment cases. |
Child Maintenance Arrears FAQ
Everything you need to know about unpaid child maintenance, CMS enforcement, and managing shortfalls.
Child maintenance arrears are the total amount of unpaid child support that has accumulated over time. This occurs when the paying parent misses one or more scheduled payments, either partially or in full, creating a debt owed to the receiving parent or the CMS.
No, the UK Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not charge interest on overdue child maintenance. However, they can take strong enforcement action to recover the principal debt, including deducting earnings directly from wages, seizing funds from bank accounts, or using bailiffs.
You should contact the CMS or your receiving parent immediately to explain your situation. If your income has dropped, you can apply for a reassessment or a ‘variation’. Simply stopping payments without communication will lead to arrears and potential enforcement action.
It is very rare for the CMS to write off arrears. They may only consider it in exceptional circumstances, such as severe financial hardship, or if the administrative cost of collecting the debt outweighs the amount owed. Private family-based arrangements are more flexible but depend entirely on mutual agreement.