Review Child Maintenance Service (CMS) rules on reduced income claims & arrears
Review CMS rules and processes for accepting reduced income claims, managing arrears, and allowing special expenses deductions. The review should ensure decisions are properly evidenced, consistently applied, and prioritise children receiving the correct level of financial support.
Signatures
8
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 8/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 8/100,000
- 16 FEB 2026Petition rejectedduplicate
Review child maintenance service (CMS) process for accepting reduced payments https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/748156
- 17 JAN 2026Petition created
Background
Current CMS processes allow paying parents to repeatedly reduce payments, renegotiate arrears, and submit special expenses claims with limited scrutiny.
Errors, delays, and inconsistent calculations are leaving children without the financial support they are entitled to for long periods.
Arrears can be prolonged for years, undermining confidence in the system and causing financial strain for receiving parents.
A review is urgently needed to ensure fairness, accuracy, and accountability.