[Solved] When does Child Benefit stop

As far as I am aware in England, you would still be liable to pay if she is in college at HNC levvel, in which case you will be liable for maintenance unti the course ends or her 20th birthday, whichever comes first. I'm not sure how the rules differ in Scotland, so might be worth contacting the Citizen's advice Bureau

Hi sorry first time here and probably covered this before. My daughter starts at university later this month. Do I stop paying maintenance now? I have been paying monthly at the end of the month. Do I still have one payment to go or have I made the last one. Obviously I will support my daughter at uni but want to know if I need to pay her mother any more?

Thanks,

Hi Gary

It depends on what type of arrangement you have with the mother, whether it's an informal arrangement made between the two of you, or if it's a statutory arrangement made via the Child maintenance Service, the old CSA.

If its an informal arrangement, then it's up to you and the mother to negotiate between yourselves when payments will stop, but I think it would be fair to continue the payments until your daughter leaves, or for a couple of weeks after, to allow the mother to adjust to the change in her finances.

If it's a statutory agreement its up to the mother to inform the CMS (CSA) of the change in circumstances so that they can close the claim. It's also up to the mother to inform the Child Benefit Office of the changes too. If she doesn't do this the CMS will expect payment to continue, as the two are linked. It would be a good idea to give them a call to discuss it further.

All the best

Hi Fish,

I looked into this, an HNC is an higher qualification than that of an A-Level. Under the Child Maintenance payments should stop if the child is studying for a qualification above A Level, which an HNC is.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Mojo, I spoke to the CSA and they are apparently checking with the CBO and will call me back sometime soon. The CSA got involve only because of my ex getting in contact with the CBO 16 years ago. Regardless I paid my ex direct without going through the CSA and this has worked fine all these years. I will speak with the ex and see what she expects to happen and reach some agreement. I will let you know what the CSA says if you would like.
Thanks again.