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Children: Maintenance

Asked by Zöe FranklinLiberal DemocratDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 3 February 2026UIN 106809

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to prevent enforcement correspondence being issued by the Child Maintenance Service where maintenance has been paid early but outside the Service’s payment window.

Answered by Andrew Western

Correspondence issued by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) referencing enforcement action as being considered should only be issued if a customer has missed payments due and has fallen into arrears.

CMS is currently reviewing its processes to ensure that this principle is consistently applied and that such correspondence is not issued where payments have been made.

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