"Uncovering the Truth: The Final Verdict on Child Maintenance (CMS) After a Child Leaves"

Good day to you! I took the liberty of recording this video to answer some of the recent inquiries I've received about child maintenance payments. Considering that June marks the end of college for many students as they transition to employment or university, there has been a lot of confusion around child maintenance payments.

Let me clarify: the answer to whether or not child maintenance payments should be made is not a simple yes or no. The key factor is the cut-off date for child benefit. If a child is still in education and completed their exams in mid-June, child benefit payments will continue until September. As a result, the Child Maintenance Service will use that September date as the cut-off for any child maintenance payments. It's worth noting, however, that child benefit has four cut-off dates per year.

One of those dates falls in June, and understanding this is critical to proper management of child maintenance payments. If your child has left education before June 1st and started employment, child benefit payments should have stopped on that date. If they left education after June 1st to start employment, child benefit payments will stop in September, around the 5th. Simple, right?

For instance, in a recent case I handled, a child left education in April, and the Child Maintenance Service was informed in May. Despite the early notification, child maintenance was still demanded because child benefit was being paid. However, further inquiries with the child benefit agency clarified that since the child left education in April, child benefit should have stopped on June 1st. Once that was established, the case was resolved, and all payments were correctly reconciled.

So here's the bottom line: if your child leaves education before the first June and gets a job, the Child Maintenance Service should stop payments starting June 1st because child benefit should have stopped being paid. If they leave after June, the next cut-off date is September 5th. I hope this clarifies things for you. Have a great day!

Oh, and before I forget, for more detailed information, please check out the link in the description below.

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