[Solved] 50:50 parenting

If she won't agree to it, then you can try mediation, and if that doesn't work, then you would have to go to court. In my view, a court is probably not going to consider it worth making an order changing from 6 days per fortnight to 7 days as you are already getting a lot of contact, and if you try to make it about the financial side, the court won't be interested in this. I presume that you have had your maintenance reduced by 3/7ths for the time you are having.

I assume you are paying child maintenance via CMS; if so then I am pretty certain that she is stalling on the extra night as this will result in a 50:50 arrangement and hence no maintenance will be due.

I have to be pretty honest with you; the courts do not like to order 50:50 as the next argument will be over claiming the benefits, I'm not saying you would argue over this but this is how the court system views/works. You've got substantial contact with your daughter (6 nights a fortnight) and this is how the courts would probably view it. ACTD is right, mediation would be your best alternative and maybe you can also agree a mutual amount that you would be willing to pay as maintenance but would need to bear in mind that you already have your own costs for your daughter to manage.

Having 50:50 shared residency does not by itself mean that no child maintenance is payable should your ex continue to claim it. In order for the CMS to make a determination that no maintenance is payable you would need to demonstrate that ALL costs and responsibilities were shared. This includes not just shared residency but also things like responsibility for doctor and dentist appointments, registered address at the school, who receives the child benefit, etc as well as an equal share of all financial responsibilities.
In practice (and in the absence of any court order which specifies equal responsibility) this can be very difficult to prove if your ex is fighting against this as Child Benefit is only paid to one parent, and you can only register one address at the doctor, dentist or school etc. In my view the ‘no maintenance payable’ scenario is most likely if you and your ex reach a private agreement on shared residency and who pays for what, such that she agrees not to claim maintenance.

However, if Child Maintenance is claimed and granted, then the paying parent is only legally required to pay the CM amount to the receiving parent. They are not legally obliged to also pay a share of any other costs (such school trips, winter coats, even pocket money, etc. etc.), though where the child stays with the paying parent for any number of nights then that parent is required to provide suitable housing and feed the child etc during that time (and that is why under shared residency a discount applies on the ‘full’ CM amount).
That is to say - as long as you pay the required maintenance amount to the receiving parent, and feed and house your child when they stay with you, then you are compliant with the law. So by claiming Child Maintenance the receiving parent effectively assumes sole legal financial responsibility for lots of things.

Over £400 a month could be reduced due to you already doing alot of overnights pretty dramatically as it is.

Have you checked the CMS calculator

Another thing to consider is that pushing for the extra night and going through the court process actually causes 'stress/anxiety' to your ex and a breakdown in your current amicable (ish) relationship thus causing her to reduce the amount of time you have child and then have a bigger problem through the courts.

I'd consider as others have suggested, reviewing the online cms calculator, consider mediation, try to discuss with ex.

I have seen and heard of situations quickly turning for the worse as soon as court action commence and/or money starts to get discussed.