Detailed proposals for the new statutory child maintenance scheme have been published which include plans to increase the amount of maintenance paid by parents on state benefits and others declaring low incomes.

The proposals include:

• Proposed increase in the ‘Flat rate’ child maintenance deductions from state benefits above the £7 rate previously announced - helping some of the worst-off single parent families.
• Payments will usually be based on the non-resident parent’s latest tax-year gross income, sourced directly from HM Revenue & Customs.
• For the first time, maintenance assessments will be reviewed annually to ensure they remain fair and accurate.
• Parents who share the care of their children exactly equally will no longer be required to pay maintenance through the statutory scheme.
• Proposed fairer rules in relation to ‘second families’ will reduce the gap between financial support for children living apart from non-resident parents and those living with them.
• Using tax data will reduce application times. The CSA currently takes around three months to open a case.
• Online self service will enable users to see a history and schedule of their payments, make payments, view details of their cases, and view the progress of their application.

Work and Pensions Minister Maria Miller said:

“Supporting families is a major government priority and that’s why we want all parents to meet their responsibilities by working together in the interests of their children. Those unable to do so will be able to apply to the new scheme, which represents a major improvement over those currently run by the CSA. With significant efficiency savings we expect also to reduce the huge drain on public resources that the CSA currently imposes.”