Legislation – Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008

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Introduction

Part 1
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

1 The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

2 Objectives of the Commission

3 Functions of the Commission: general

4 Promotion of child maintenance

5 Provision of information and guidance

6 Fees

7 Agency arrangements and provision of services

8 Contracting out

9 Annual report to Secretary of State

10 Directions and guidance

11 Review of the status of the Commission

12 Supplementary provisions

Part 2
Transfer of child support functions to the Commission

13 Transfer of child support functions

14 Transfer of property, rights and liabilities

Part 3
Child support etc.

15 Repeal of sections 6 and 46

16 Changes to the calculation of maintenance

17 Power to regulate supersession

18 Determination of applications for a variation

19 Transfer of cases to new rules

20 Use of deduction from earnings orders as basic method of payment

21 Deduction from earnings orders: the liable person’s earnings

22 Orders for regular deductions from accounts

23 Lump sum deduction orders

24 Orders preventing avoidance

25 Administrative liability orders

26 Enforcement in county courts

27 Disqualification for holding or obtaining travel authorisation

28 Curfew orders

29 Commitment to prison

30 Disqualification for driving

31 Power to treat liability as satisfied

32 Power to accept part payment of arrears in full and final satisfaction

33 Power to write off arrears

34 Transfer of arrears

35 Registered maintenance agreements: Scotland

36 Offence of failing to notify change of address

37 Additional special case

38 Recovery of arrears from deceased’s estate

39 Disclosure of information relating to family proceedings

40 Disclosure of information to credit reference agencies

41 Pilot schemes

42 Meaning of “child”

43 Extinction of liability in respect of interest and fees

44 Use of information

45 Liable relative provisions: exclusion of parental duty to maintain

Part 4
Lump sum payments: mesothelioma etc.

46 Lump sum payments

47 Conditions of entitlement

48 Determination of claims

49 Reconsideration

50 Appeal to First-tier Tribunal

51 Appeal to Social Security Commissioner

52 Minors and people who lack capacity

53 Regulations: Part 4

54 Amendment of Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997

Part 5
General

55 Regulations and orders: general

56 General interpretation

57 Minor and consequential amendments

58 Repeals

59 Transition

60 Financial provisions

61 Extent

62 Commencement

63 Citation

SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 1

SCHEDULE 2

SCHEDULE 3 Transfer of child support functions

SCHEDULE 4 Changes to the calculation of maintenance

SCHEDULE 5 Maintenance calculations: transfer of cases to new rules

SCHEDULE 6

SCHEDULE 7 Minor and consequential amendments

SCHEDULE 8 Repeals

Changes to legislation:

Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008, SCHEDULE 3 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 15 April 2026. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. Help about Changes to Legislation

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SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 3Transfer of child support functions

Section 13

Part 1Consequential amendments

Child Support Act 1991 (c. 48)

1

The Child Support Act 1991 (c. 48) is amended as follows.

2

In section 2 (welfare of children: the general principle)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
;

(c)

for “his” substitute
its
.

3

(1)

Section 4 (child support maintenance) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (2)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(5)

In subsection (4), for “Secretary of State”
(in the first and third places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

(6)

In subsection (5)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(7)

In subsections (6) and (7), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

4

(1)

Section 6 (applications by those claiming or receiving benefit) is amended as follows.

(2)

After subsection (2) insert—

“(2A)

The Secretary of State must notify the Commission of circumstances giving rise to the application of this section.”

(3)

In subsections (3) and (4), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(4)

In subsection (5)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(5)

In subsection (7), for “Secretary of State’s” substitute
Commission’s
.

(6)

In subsection (8), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(7)

In subsection (9)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(8)

In subsection (10), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(9)

In subsection (11), for “he”
(in the second place where it occurs) substitute
the Commission
.

(10)

In subsection (12), for “Secretary of State’s” substitute
Commission’s
.

5

(1)

Section 7 (right of child in Scotland to apply for calculation) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsections (1) and (2), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (4)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(5)

In subsection (5), for “Secretary of State”
(in the first and third places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

(6)

In subsections (6) and (7), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(7)

In subsection (8)(b), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

6

In section 8 (role of the courts with respect to maintenance for children), in subsections (1) and (2), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

7

(1)

Section 10 (relationship between maintenance calculations and certain court orders etc.) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (4)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in the second and third places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (5), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

8

(1)

Section 11 (maintenance calculations) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State ”substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (2)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
the Commission
.

(5)

In subsection (4)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
the Commission
;

(c)

for “him” substitute
the Commission
.

(6)

In subsection (5)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
the Commission
.

(7)

In subsection (7)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

9

(1)

Section 12 (default and interim maintenance decisions) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him”, in the first place where it occurs, substitute
the Commission
and, in the second place where it occurs, substitute
it
;

(c)

for “he”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (2), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

10

(1)

Section 14 (information required by Secretary of State) is amended as follows.

(2)

In the title, for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (3), for “him”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
the Commission
.

(4)

In subsection (4), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

11

(1)

Section 15 (powers of inspectors) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (2), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

12

In section 16 (revision of decisions)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “his”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
its
;

(c)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
;

(d)

for “him” substitute
it
.

13

In section 17 (decisions superseding earlier decisions)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “his”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
its
;

(c)

for “him” substitute
it
.

14

(1)

Section 20 (appeals to appeal tribunals) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsections (1)(a) and (b), (2)(a)(i), (7)(b) and (8)(b), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

15

In section 23A (redetermination of appeals), in subsection (4), before paragraph (a) insert—

“(za)

the Commission;”.

16

(1)

Section 24 (appeal to Child Support Commissioner) is amended as follows.

(2)

For subsection (1) substitute —

“(1)

Each of the following may appeal to a Child Support Commissioner on a question of law—

(a)

the Commission,

(b)

the Secretary of State, and

(c)

any person who is aggrieved by the decision of an appeal tribunal.”

(3)

F1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4)

F1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5)

F1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

F2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

In section 26 (disputes about parentage), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

19

In section 27 (applications for declaration of parentage) for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

20

In section 27A (recovery of fees for scientific tests)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
.

21

In section 28 (power to initiate or defend actions of declarator), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs, including the title) substitute
Commission
.

22

In section 28ZA (decisions involving issues that arise on appeal in other cases)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
;

(c)

for “his” substitute
its
.

23

In section 28ZB (appeals involving issues that arise on appeal in other cases)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
the Commission
;

(c)

for “him” substitute
the Commission
;

(d)

for “his” substitute
its
.

24

In section 28ZC (restrictions on liability in certain cases of error), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

25

In section 28A (application for variation of usual rules for calculating maintenance), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

26

(1)

Section 28B (preliminary consideration of applications) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (2)—

(a)

for “he”
(in the first place where it occurs) substitute
the Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each other place where it occurs) substitute
it
;

(c)

for “his”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
its
;

(d)

for “him” substitute
the Commission
.

27

In section 28C (imposition of regular payments condition), in subsections (1) and (3) to (7)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
;

(c)

for “his”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
its
.

28

In section 28D (determination of applications)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

29

In section 28E (matters to be taken into account)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

30

In section 28F (agreement to variation)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
;

(c)

for “his”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
its
.

31

In section 28J (voluntary payments), in subsections (1), (2) and (4)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
.

32

(1)

Section 29 (collection of child support maintenance) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

in paragraph (b), for “him” substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (3), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

33

(1)

Section 30 (collection and enforcement of other forms of maintenance) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsections (1), (2) and (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
it
.

(3)

In subsection (4)—

(a)

for “him” substitute
the Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in the second place where it occurs) substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (5)—

(a)

for “him”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
the Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in the first place where it occurs) substitute
it
.

34

In section 31 (deduction from earnings orders)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

in subsection (6), for “he” substitute
it
.

35

In section 32 (regulations about deduction from earnings orders), in subsections (2) and (3), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

36

In section 33 (liability orders), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

37

In section 34 (regulations about liability orders), in subsections (1)(a) and (c) and (2), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

38

(1)

Section 35 (enforcement of liability orders by distress) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “his” substitute
its
.

39

In section 37 (regulations about liability orders), in subsection (2), for “Secretary of State”
(in the second place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

40

In section 38 (enforcement of liability orders by diligence), subsection (1) is amended as follows—

(a)

in paragraph (a), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

F3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c)

F3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41

In section 39A (commitment to prison and disqualification from driving)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
;

(b)

in subsections (1) and (4), for “he” substitute
it
.

42

(1)

Section 40B (disqualification from driving) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsections (5) to (8), for “Secretary of State”
(in each place where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (9)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

43

(1)

Section 41 (arrears of child support maintenance) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (2)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (6)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

44

(1)

Section 41A (penalty payments) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1), for “him” substitute
the Commission
.

(3)

In subsections (2) and (4), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(4)

In subsection (6)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

45

(1)

Section 41B (repayment of overpaid child support maintenance) is amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In subsection (1A)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(4)

In subsection (2), for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

(5)

In subsection (3)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
;

(c)

for “him” substitute
it
.

(6)

In subsections (4), (5) and (6)(a), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(7)

In subsection (9)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “him” substitute
it
.

46

In section 44 (jurisdiction), in subsection (1), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

47

In section 46 (reduced benefit decisions), in subsection (3)(a), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

48

In section 46A (finality of decisions), in subsection (1), after “decision of” insert
the Commission,
.

49

In section 46B (matters arising as respects decisions), in subsection (1)(a), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

50

In section 48 (right of audience), in subsection (1), for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

51

After section 50 insert—

“50AUse of computers

Any decision falling to be made under or by virtue of this Act by the Commission may be made, not only by a person authorised to exercise the Commission’s decision-making function, but also by a computer for whose operation such a person is responsible.”

52

(1)

Schedule 1 (maintenance calculations) is amended as follows.

(2)

In paragraph 7(3), for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(3)

In paragraph 10(2)—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “his” substitute
its
.

(4)

In paragraph 10B(a), for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

(5)

In paragraphs 12 and 13, for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
.

(6)

In paragraph 15—

(a)

for “Secretary of State” substitute
Commission
;

(b)

for “he” substitute
it
.

(7)

In paragraph 16(10), for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

53

In paragraph 4 of Schedule 4A, for “Secretary of State”
(in both places where it occurs) substitute
Commission
.

Social Security Act 1998 (c. 14)

54

F4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part 2Transitional provision and savings

55

F5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .