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How the CSA makes decisions about child maintenance

In any child maintenance case, the Child Support Agency (CSA) gathers information from both parents about:

• their family circumstances
• the non-resident parent’s income

A non-resident parent is the parent who the child does not normally live with.

The CSA use this information to work out how much child maintenance should be paid to the parent with care. A parent with care or person with care is the parent or carer who the child normally lives with.

The CSA will always send a letter to both parents to tell them their decision about:

• the amount of child maintenance to be paid
• when and how child maintenance should be paid and received

What you can do if you disagree with a decision

You can ask the CSA to look at its decision again if you think that it has:

• made a wrong decision
• overlooked some important facts or evidence

You need to do this within one month of the date of the letter that tells you about the decision.

The quickest way to get the CSA to look again at a decision is to make contact by phone. You will find the contact details you need at the top of any letter the CSA has sent you.

• Contact the CSA Opens new window

If you have asked someone to represent you, that person can ask the CSA to look again at its decision. The CSA can only accept this if it has been told in writing that this person is acting as your representative.

The CSA should explain the reasons for the decision and change it if it's wrong.

What happens if the decision stays the same?

If the CSA decides the decision is correct, it will tell the parent who questioned the decision that the original decision still stands.

If that parent isn't satisfied, they have the right to appeal against the decision, if that decision is about a child maintenance amount. There is no right of appeal against decisions about when and how child maintenance is paid.

An appeal is a formal process, handled by the Ministry of Justice. An independent tribunal will take another look at the CSA’s decision. It may take a long time to come to a result.

Find out more information about how to appeal and what’s involved by using the link below.

• Appealing against a CSA decision

What happens if the decision is changed

If the CSA decides to change its decision, it will send both parents a letter to confirm the new decision. Either parent can ask the CSA to look again at a new decision, or appeal against it if they are still not satisfied.

Paying child maintenance during a review or appeal

While a decision is being looked at again or appealed against, the non-resident parent must still pay child maintenance until the issue is sorted out.