We know the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can be complicated, and you may have questions about how the system works, Gingerbread’s role and what we’re campaigning to change.
We’ve answered some of the most common questions we receive about the CMS, including where our statistics come from, how our #FixTheCMS campaign represents the experiences of both paying and receiving parents, and where you can find support if you’re having problems with your case.
Explore our FAQs below to find out more about the CMS and our work to campaign for a fairer, more effective system that puts children first.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is a government service that calculates, collects and manages child maintenance payments between separated parents. The CMS replaced the Child Support Agency (CSA) in 2012.
Child maintenance is intended to help cover the everyday costs of raising a child, helping to ensure children continue to receive financial support from both parents after separation.
No. Gingerbread is an independent charity. We are not part of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), the former Child Support Agency (CSA), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or the government.
We campaign for changes to improve the child maintenance system because we know it is failing many families.
The CMS isn’t working for anyone in its current form. The system should work fairly for everyone involved, but most importantly, it should ensure children receive the financial support they are entitled to.
Through our Fix The CMS campaign, we’re calling on the government to reform the system so it is fairer, more effective and better protects children and families. Our key recommendations are:
Our campaigning is based on lived experience of single parents who use the CMS. Our recommendations for reform are based on research we have conducted with both non-resident (paying parents) and the parents with care. This is to ensure we are hearing the realities and experiences of everyone who has to use the system.
We have been clear that, where it is safe and in a child’s best interests, children should have meaningful relationships with both parents. Child maintenance and child contact are separate issues. Both parents have a legal and moral duty to financially support their children.
The statistics we share come directly from The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), who publish quarterly statistics on the CMS. The latest publication (at the time of writing this) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2026/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2026
No. We support and campaign for all single parents, regardless of gender or how they became a single parent.
Anyone who is parenting alone, or is about to become a single parent, can access our information, community and support.
No. Many paying parents want to support their children and meet their responsibilities.
Our concern is with a system that often fails to work well for everyone involved, whether that’s through delays, inaccurate calculations, poor communication or ineffective enforcement.
We do. We’ve repeatedly said that the current CMS does not work well for anyone involved. Our research has highlighted issues experienced by both receiving and paying parents, including inaccurate calculations, poor communication, delays and inconsistent decision making.
If you think you’re not getting what you should be from the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), there are ways to challenge this. Our information page explains how you can correct the information used in your calculation. It also covers what to do if your circumstances have changed, or you don’t think the right things have been taken into account. You can read more here.
We can’t offer individual advice on your case with the CMS, however, we have a number of helpful information pages on our website. Topics range from challenging a CMS calculation, to claiming child maintenance safely when there’s been domestic abuse. You can visit the information pages here.
