(England & Wales)
Create your child maintenance agreement with payment amounts, review provisions, variation clauses, and enforcement terms.
Professionally drafted — structured following Children Act 1989 and Child Support Act 1991 requirements for England and Wales.
Child maintenance agreement template for family-based private child maintenance arrangements. Alternative to Child Maintenance Service (CMS). Covers payment schedules, cost of living adjustments, school fees and childcare costs. Structured following Child Support Act 1991 and Children Act 1989 including Schedule 1 claims. Applicable to England and Wales.
Whether you prefer step-by-step guidance or a traditional form, both methods produce the identical professionally-formatted child maintenance agreement. Choose the style that suits you.
One screen at a time — less overwhelming, nothing missed.
Everything on one page — faster if you know what you need.
🔒 Your data never leaves your device — saved locally in your browser only
♻️ Unlimited use — update and regenerate your agreement whenever circumstances change
Get our Child Arrangements Pack — includes Child Maintenance Agreement, Child Arrangement Agreement, Parenting Plan, Travel Consent Letter, and Parental Responsibility Agreement in one complete bundle.
Essential for parents who want to arrange child support privately without using the Child Maintenance Service — keeping control, avoiding fees, and maintaining flexibility.
A professionally drafted child maintenance agreement requires essential information about both parents, children, payment amounts, frequency, and variation mechanisms to account for changing circumstances.
A comprehensive child maintenance agreement should include:
Private family-based arrangements offer flexibility and no fees, while Child Maintenance Service imposes collection charges and uses fixed formula calculations. Understanding both options helps you choose the arrangement that works best for your family.
For £400/month over 10 years: CMS Collect & Pay costs approximately £11,520 in fees. Private arrangement: £0.
Our template includes all essential clauses: parent and child identification, maintenance amounts, payment methods, additional expenses like school fees and childcare, review mechanisms, variation provisions, dispute resolution, and a proper execution page for both parents to sign.
Common drafting errors include vague payment amounts, missing provisions for additional costs, no review mechanism, ignoring inflation adjustments, absent variation clauses, and relying on verbal agreements. Avoid these by ensuring clarity, written documentation, and forward-looking terms.
Private child maintenance agreements are not automatically legally enforceable. To add legal weight, you can apply to the court for a Consent Order (approximately £53), which converts your agreement into a court-enforceable order. Our template is designed to be Consent Order-ready.
Solicitors typically charge between £500 and £1,500 or more for drafting a child maintenance agreement, depending on complexity and location.
Our template is £10 one-time. Many complete without additional costs. Consider solicitor review for complex circumstances.
Yes. Private family-based arrangements are entirely legal and common. Parents agree directly without government involvement.
This template helps you create a formal agreement that documents your arrangement, avoiding the Child Maintenance Service fees (which can cost thousands over time) whilst maintaining clarity and structure.
Private family-based arrangement: You and the other parent agree directly. No fees. Flexible amounts. Quick to arrange.
Child Maintenance Service (CMS): Government agency. Collect & Pay fees: 4% to receiving parent, 20% to paying parent. Fixed calculation based on income. Enforcement powers available.
For £400/month over 10 years, CMS costs approximately £11,520 in fees. A private agreement costs nothing to maintain.
Private agreements are not automatically legally enforceable through the courts, but they are morally binding and most parents respect them.
To gain court-enforcement powers, you can apply for a Consent Order (approximately £53 court fee), which converts your agreement into an enforceable court order.
Our template is drafted to be Consent Order-ready, so this process is straightforward.
You receive free lifetime updates — no subscription required, no monthly fees, ever.
Whenever UK law changes or we make improvements to the template, we update it and the new version appears free in your My Templates page. No extra charges. No recurring fees. You always have the most current version.
£10 one-time. That's it. No subscriptions, no recurring fees, no "free trial" traps.
Here's what we don't do: Other sites advertise "free templates" — you spend 15 minutes filling one in, then they demand your card for a "free trial" that charges £35–£42/month when you forget to cancel. Worse, many are US-based and won't hold up under UK law. (Read about the scam)
We're different: £10 upfront for the document you actually need. Build it, preview it, pay only when you're happy. Own it forever with free lifetime updates. Based on UK law. No subscription fatigue.
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