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Written question asked by Baroness Debbonaire (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Sherlock (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Children: Maintenance

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government why the £156,000 cap on annual income earned by the absent parent eligible for assessment by the Child Maintenance Service has not been uprated since December 2012; and what assessment they have made of the resulting impact on child poverty.

Answer

The £156,000 annual gross income limit reflects the £3,000 gross weekly income threshold introduced with the 2012 child maintenance scheme. The scheme was designed to provide a standard formula for assessing child maintenance in most cases. Where a paying parent’s income exceeds this threshold, receiving parents may apply to the courts for a top-up order. Higher-income cases can involve more complex financial arrangements and, as intended when the scheme was introduced, the courts remain responsible for determining any additional maintenance above the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) calculation limit.

The Government keeps all aspects of the child maintenance system under consideration, but there are currently no plans to uprate this threshold.

A paying parent with gross weekly income of £3,000 or above would be liable for child maintenance of approximately £294 per week for one qualifying child, £392 per week for two qualifying children and £482 per week for three or more qualifying children under the statutory formula, before any adjustments for shared care or other factors.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1724
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Poverty Children Maintenance Personal income Parents Child Maintenance Service
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk