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Low-income paying parents are more likely to build up child maintenance arrears than those who...

Recommendation
Low-income paying parents are more likely to build up child maintenance arrears than those who are higher paid: 46% of paying parents using the CMS did not earn enough to pay income tax (£12,570 in 2021–22), but these parents represented 62% of those with arrears as at March 2021 .Alongside making enforcement more challenging, we received written evidence from a number of non-resident parents who told us about distress and hardship they had experienced being asked for amounts they considered to be 50 C&AG’s Report, paras 21–22, 2.20 51 Q66; C&AG’s Report, para 2.20 52 Qq 70, 73–74 53 Qq 69–70; C&AG’s Report, para 2.22 54 Q 67 55 Q 32; C&AG’s Report, para 2.15 56 Q76; National Tables Child Maintenance Service Statistics data to September 2021, Table 7_2 57 Q 67 58 Qq 67 and 68; 20 Child Maintenance unreasonable, unfair or inaccurate, as well as unaffordable.59 More than two-thirds (68%) of those parents who are using Collect & Pay, and over a quarter (26%) of parents using Direct Pay, say that it is unaffordable.60
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 14 October 2022. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 4.2 yrs
Report published 22 Jun 2022