Parents have shared accounts of substantial amounts of money being withdrawn from their bank accounts due to child maintenance errors. John Hammond, a 56-year-old math teacher from Peterborough, had nearly £20,000 deducted by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) even though his payment arrangement had ended over ten years ago. He expressed shock and disbelief upon noticing the significant deduction, initially believing it to be a scam.
In 2002, Mr. Hammond received a letter from the Child Support Agency stating he owed £947, which was later waived at his ex-wife’s request. However, in 2019, the CMS claimed he owed almost £19,000. Subsequently, £19,269 was withdrawn from his bank account in December 2020. After contesting the arrears, he successfully appealed in court for the full amount to be refunded.
Although the court awarded him £8,000 in legal costs, his total legal fees amounted to £14,055, leaving him over £6,000 out of pocket. Child maintenance serves as a financial agreement to assist in covering a child’s daily expenses when parents are separated or not living together.
Reports indicate that numerous parents have faced inaccuracies in child maintenance calculations, unauthorized withdrawals, and legal battles with the CMS. Richard George, aged 63, had £18,800 withdrawn from his bank account by the CMS in late 2019, despite having previously won an appeal in 2016 to nullify over £16,000 in arrears. He later discovered that the CMS had been sending correspondence to an incorrect address for several years.
Mr. George noted, “They refunded the money eventually – including collection fees from 2019 onwards, but the damage had already been done.” In 2025, the CMS received 92,700 requests from parents to review decisions, with 21,400 cases found to be erroneous or requiring additional information that altered the decision.
Operated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the CMS ensures payment arrangements are based on the paying parent’s income. An official from the DWP mentioned that assessment accuracy rates are consistently near 100%. Parents can appeal payment decisions, and an independent tribunal will determine if modifications are necessary. Enforcement actions are taken only when parents persist in non-payment, with efforts made to arrange voluntary payments and resume regular payments to prevent further arrears.
