Since June 2025 the government has announced several changes to the Child Maintenance Service. Some have been widely reported as if they had already happened. This is a summary of where things stand as at October 2026.
Direct Pay and the 2% fee
Announced (June 2025): Direct Pay to be removed, with every case moving to one service in which the CMS manages payments. Collection fees to fall from 20% (paying parent) and 4% (receiving parent) to 2% for both.
Status: Not yet in force, and no start date confirmed. For now, Direct Pay remains free and Collect and Pay fees remain 20% and 4%.
The income change threshold
Announced: The change in the paying parent’s income needed to trigger a recalculation between annual reviews will fall from 25% to 15%.
Status: Announced in 2026. Check GOV.UK for the date it takes effect. Until then, the 25% threshold applies.
Enforcement
Announced: The government has committed to legislation allowing the CMS to make liability orders itself (administrative liability orders), rather than going to court.
Status: No confirmed timetable.
Calculations
A promised public consultation on how maintenance is calculated was later cancelled. The formula explained in how the calculation works is unchanged.
What this means for you
- Use the current rules, not announced ones, when checking a calculation or deciding whether to challenge it.
- If you are on Direct Pay and it works, nothing changes yet.
- If your income has changed by between 15% and 25%, keep your evidence ready for when the new threshold applies.
We will update this page
When any of these changes take effect, this post and the affected guides will be updated. The “last reviewed” date on each guide shows when it was last checked.
