Child Maintenance Service Anmeldelser 

Total shambles that our government need to review. Failed to collect under a live DD. Realised this when I get a call this weekend to call them. Called today too late the have put collection to an Attachment of Earnings order. No apology for their incompetence. I cannot be the only who has experienced such poor experience. They are making something that is difficult far harder then it needs to be.

⭐️ One-Star Review of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS): “A Masterclass in Incompetence”

If Kafka had written about child support, the Child Maintenance Service would be his muse.

Let’s begin with the user experience. Imagine calling a customer service line, but instead of help, you get passed around like a hot potato at a team-building retreat. After 40 minutes on hold, you’re finally connected to someone who sounds like they’re either asleep or locked in a cupboard. Just when you’re getting somewhere, you’re told “that’s a different department”, transferred, and dropped into the void—never to return.

Want clarity on your payments? Pfft. CMS’s idea of “transparent” is like looking through a frosted bathroom window at midnight. One month you owe £300, the next it’s £800, and no one—not even their own staff—can explain why. Asking for a breakdown of charges is like requesting MI5’s security briefings. The response? “Computer says no.”

And let’s not forget the classic: “arrears”. CMS seems to calculate these using witchcraft, a dartboard, or the bones of a chicken. You pay on time, in full, via standing order—yet somehow you still owe £52.73 from a month in 2018 when Mercury was in retrograde. Pay it, or they’ll threaten enforcement like you’ve just defaulted on a mortgage for a yacht you didn’t buy.

Their Enforcement Team? Ah yes, a crack unit trained in the ancient art of overreaction. Miss a payment by a day and suddenly your wages are raided, your credit rating is trashed, and your bank thinks you’re laundering money for Pablo Escobar. Meanwhile, actual non-payers vanish into the mist like rogue wizards, unbothered and untouched.

Fairness? Not a chance. CMS operates under the belief that every paying parent is a champagne-sipping villain trying to dodge responsibility. Ask for a reassessment and you’re treated like you’re trying to scam your way out of buying your kid a sandwich.

And communication? They send letters that arrive after the deadline they gave you to respond. It’s like playing a game of chess with someone who moves your pieces while you’re asleep and then fines you for losing.

In short: if the CMS were a restaurant, you’d order a sandwich, wait 12 weeks, get charged for three steaks, and then be fined for not eating fast enough.

⸻

Final Verdict:
⭐️ 1 star, only because zero isn’t an option.
Perfect for those who enjoy bureaucracy, confusion, and feeling like a criminal for supporting their child. Avoid if you value logic, fairness, or having a shred of sanity left.

I have paid Child Maintenance as requested by them for the last 17 ish years.
As I'm self employed, I have overpaid when possible to ensure my ex wife always gets the money, even if my work is slower due to holidays/sickness etc.
However,.one month when I was 6 weeks in credit,.I forgot to pay. CMS put me onto their collect and pay service charging 20% fee.
How can a company/ organisation penalise you for being paid up and in credit?
Well the CMS think it's ok to do that, with no discussion, no warning letter, no request for money.
Funnily enough, now the CMS have come up with a new plan and have arranged to take money, they won't be taking any money this month. Guess why?? Because I'm overpaid!!!
You couldn't make it up.
Shameful bullies.

I am currently being harassed by the cms. Even though I pay the amount without fail every month they continue to send letters of proof of income, I prove this every month, I am fully employed and pay tax, I have nothing to hide but they continue!!
Absolute joke and they know nothing can be done because of who they are!

Absolutely awful service. The only way to get in contact with them is by phone. Is some cases it’s taken two hours to actually speak to someone. The operators are extremely rude and condescending. They are not concerned about what’s fair, extortion is a criminal offence and this company is allowed to operate like this without knowing the true facts. It’s seriously outdated. Especially when you can go online and everything is traceable today.

This insidious service bullies, harrases, causes issues, steals money and places profits over your ability to live.
Its not about the child, it is about making money, it is not about the NRP, it is about making money.

- Incompetent staff who give false or incorrect information constantly
- Unusable phone system with calls left unanswered and ringing, calls dropping constantly, if you can even get through.
- Online portal that can't handle document uploads and crashes
- Threatening texts
- Enabling Child Alienation for profit
- Forcing Deduction of Earnings for profit
- False arrears and fake unjustifiable increases even they cant or dont want to explain
- No accountability
- Uses legal powers to destroy lives and make people homeless
- Causes many suicides
- Are defiant and belligerent and uncaring when questioned or challenged about incorrect account information
- Believes the RPs word on anything
- Treats the NRP as a criminal
- fuels a legal system so broken a parent with a 50\50 lives with order still has to pay the other parent

I had to give a star rating, but actually I would give negative stars if I could.

SEND THIS

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS), in its current form, is an outdated and deeply flawed system that fails to operate with fairness, accuracy, or empathy. What was intended to ensure financial support for children has instead become a punitive, bureaucratic tool that disregards the circumstances of paying parents and enforces policies with little regard for equity or common sense.

One of the most significant issues with the CMS is how it calculates payments. The system assumes that a paying parent’s income remains static and does not take into account fluctuations, changes in employment, or financial hardship in real time. Even when income decreases dramatically—due to job loss, illness, or reduced hours—there is a long, complex, and often ignored process to report it. During this delay, the CMS continues to charge full amounts, building up arrears that may not reflect the reality of the situation. This results in unnecessary debt that haunts paying parents for months or even years.

The way the CMS enforces payments is not only aggressive but also completely disproportionate. Deductions from earnings orders, threats of enforcement action, and even the removal of driving licenses or passports are tools they use regularly. These actions are applied without sufficient warning or reasonable discussion, often leading to mental distress and financial instability. It feels more like a collection agency operating on commission than a service meant to support children or maintain family dignity.

What makes it worse is the one-sided nature of the system. The CMS often favors the receiving parent (the parent with care) without any accountability. There is minimal transparency about how the money is used, and no requirement for it to directly benefit the child. Meanwhile, the paying parent is treated with suspicion, as though unwilling to support their own child, even when they are already actively involved in their lives emotionally and financially outside the CMS framework.

The CMS also charges a 20% collection fee to the paying parent if direct payments cannot be agreed upon—effectively punishing parents who are already struggling financially. On top of that, it charges the receiving parent 4% of what they collect. These are fees on top of child maintenance, not optional costs. This outdated approach creates a toxic atmosphere of mistrust and forces families into conflict rather than cooperation.

Furthermore, the CMS is completely out of touch with modern parenting. It does not recognize shared care arrangements fairly. If a paying parent has their children several nights a week, covers clothing, food, school costs, or extracurriculars directly, this is not properly taken into account unless strict legal evidence is provided—something many separated parents don’t have. It ignores the emotional and physical contributions of fathers (and some mothers) who share parenting responsibilities, painting a black-and-white picture of care that simply doesn’t reflect today’s families.

In short, the CMS has made life more difficult, not better. It has added financial pressure, emotional stress, and unfair consequences to a situation that is already complicated. It urgently needs reform—starting with greater flexibility, more transparent processes, and an approach that treats both parents with fairness and respect.

Until these changes are made, many parents like myself will continue to feel penalized, unheard, and unfairly treated by a system that is supposed to support—not punish—families.

A total joke my ex can owe over 20 years of child maintenance payments and he still gets away with not paying for his once child they are just letting all these absent fathers get away with not paying what they should for there child

Stole money from my account. Money is more important than me looking after my child. Hooker for a mother and child maintenance as a father. I will not be taking part in this business plan. Ruining relationships between fathers and children. Poorly planned decisions to place a child in the hands of a self harming gang banger. then steal money from the father to reward explicit abusive behaviours. sick country no care for my child safety or well being.

Really poor service each person has own ideas not one gives a straight answer computer says no all paying parents should be given proof of attendance re college university etc my case involves overpayment based on a lie by claiming parent losses on my part £5000 csa response take her to court my response you’ve broken me financially they responded yeah we know but it’s my money yeah so what the don’t give a **** so if your a paying parent might be a little painful but go collect and pay skip paying direct pay as you will have zero help from the csa

CSA did help us when needed but what we don’t understand is, they don’t take our bills, Mortage into consideration. We pay over 600 pounds of CSA which we don’t get to see the kids by the way due to the mother blocking all access. So why do fathers have to pay when they don’t even get to see their kids, I understand it’s a fathers right to provide but they always have every right to see them. CSA should start checking the fathers bills and tax’s before just taking a big huge lump some of money coz fathers struggle to live and pay their own way when CSA take so much.

Absolutely without doubt the worst organization on the planet woefully inept hates all men especially self employed.

CSA Are deplorable.Its sad to say no wonder men commit suicide because of the CSA doings.
My brother has only just went through a separation 6 weeks ago and his wife has decided to involve CSA through spite even though he’s having children anywhere between 3-7 days a week. It is still an ‘in the air’ situation. Which yrs these things do happen but
My brother has received the most appalling DISTRESSING and DISGUSTING first letter which really needs reviewed by the CSA. it is a demanding threatening first letter stating how much he earns (which was wrong) and how much will be taken from him without him firstly speaking to them or being offered the opportunity to give his side.
The first letter should be fairer and not so threatening. It should ask both sides first.
There is absolutely no justice for the man or woman who does not have the child living with them in the sence your first correspondence is disgraceful. We will be involving the local MP and CAB on your threatening approach to the other party.

I found the Child Maintenance Customer Service phone line waiting time to be too long. However, I got through to a very professional and helpful advisor who went above and beyond. Her name was Leanne and I believe her accent was that associated with Liverpudlians. If management see this please thank her for her help!!

Awful company, you would expect more as its run through the gov.uk. Each time you phone expect to be on the phone for the very least an hour. Calculations are continuously wrong and letters sent out are copied and pasted with wrong information on. Takes 3 months to set up collect and pay. And in this time how are our children supposed to eat!

The people who work for children maintenance should be ashamed of themselves do nothing to support the child

I have spent best part of this morning on hold waiting to speak to one of your child maintenance representatives only to get through to someone after 40 minutes.
The moment ‘Reece’ answered and asked for my name, I replied “sorry I can’t hear you, could you speak a bit louder please” he hung up the phone!

This is a frustrating situation for parents anyway and your customer service being poor doesn’t help anyone.

Absolutely unacceptable

It's not child maintenance , it's financial abuse by automation with no accountability !

Biggest scam ever, full of liars in that office. Tell you they have received confirmation from HMRC how much i earn and its £5000 more than what's on my HMRC account, constantly changing how much im supposed to pay and then send me bills for underpayment. People in that office need sacking

I am still waiting for a full and comprehensive breakdown of the so called "Arrears" that I have spent at least 2 years trying to chase up and yet you are still unable to give me an answer. The website does not have and section where it is easy to contact a member of staff. The arrears on my account are unlawful and you have done absolutely nothing to address my concerns.