Parents shared how they lost thousands of pounds from their bank accounts due to child maintenance mistakes. John Hammond, a 56-year-old math teacher from Peterborough, had nearly £20,000 deducted by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) even though his arrangement had ended over ten years ago. Hammond recounted feeling shaken upon realizing the substantial sum had been withdrawn, suspecting it was a scam.
In 2002, Hammond received a letter from the now-defunct Child Support Agency, later replaced by the CMS, stating he owed £947. However, he was informed that this amount was not required to be paid at the request of his ex-wife. In 2019, Hammond was shocked to receive a letter from the CMS claiming he owed almost £19,000. Subsequently, £19,269 was debited from his account in December 2020. After challenging the arrears, he successfully appealed in court to have the entire sum refunded.
Despite being awarded £8,000 in legal costs by the court, Hammond remains over £6,000 out of pocket after spending £14,055 on legal expenses to contest the case. Child maintenance serves as a financial support system to cover a child’s everyday expenses when parents are separated or do not cohabit.
Multiple parents, including Richard George, 63, reported inaccuracies in child maintenance calculations, unauthorized fund withdrawals, and legal disputes with the CMS. George had £18,800 withdrawn from his bank account by the CMS in late 2019, despite his successful 2016 appeal to cancel over £16,000 in arrears. It was later discovered that the CMS had been sending letters to an incorrect address for several years.
The CMS received 92,700 requests in 2025 from parents seeking review of decisions, with 21,400 cases found to be incorrect or requiring updated information. Managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the CMS establishes payment plans based on the paying parent’s income, with assessment accuracy rates consistently near 100%.
A DWP spokesperson clarified that disputed payment arrangements can be appealed, with an independent tribunal determining any changes. The CMS prioritizes arranging voluntary payments and reinstating regular payments to prevent further arrears before resorting to enforcement measures for non-payment.