Child Maintenance Payments

Child maintenance is the financial contribution owed for the support of children and the weaker spouse after separation.

Definition of Child Maintenance Payments

Child maintenance is a financial payment, usually periodic, made by one parent or spouse to the other following a separation or divorce. Its main purpose is to ensure the support of the children and, where legally justified, the spouse with a lower income, allowing them to maintain a dignified standard of living.

Application and Single Parenthood

In the context of single parents, maintenance is calculated based on the financial resources of the obligated parent and the needs of the children. It is generally paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent/glossary/custodial-parent. It is important to distinguish between ordinary expenses, intended for daily needs food, housing, hygiene, and extraordinary expenses/glossary/extraordinary-expenses, which must be reimbursed separately.

Determination and Revision of the Amount

The amount of maintenance can be set by mutual agreement between the parties or, failing that, determined by a judge. This amount is not fixed: it can be subject to revision if the financial circumstances of one of the parents change or if the children's needs change. If payments are not made, the entitled parent can resort to legal protection measures to recover the debt.