Child Benefit and Child Maintenance

Tailspin72

Hi All,

My 18yr old daughter has left full-time education as of August 2025. She has found a job in a care home which she starts as soon as her DBS check comes back. I pay my ex CM for my daughter.

I have researched the link between CB and CM which isn't clear to me. I have contacted both HMRC and CMS who give conflicting information. When my daughter starts her job does CB automatically stop which feeds into my CM payments.

The rules behind Child Maintenance payments seem to be not clear when a child leaves education.

Can anyone help.

Thanks in advance 

maman

My understanding (which I checked with Google) is that Child Maintenance stops when full time education ends so, in your case, now that your daughter has left college. This would also be the case had she gone on to Higher Education. 

However, it's likely that her job in care may not be well paid and you may wish to continue paying her a sum of money to help her out. If and how you choose to do that is up to you. You could, for example, save for her for a future expenditure such as a car or towards a property deposit or whatever. 

Tailspin72

Thanks for your reply.

"If and how you choose to do that is up to you. You could, for example, save for her for a future expenditure such as a car or towards a property deposit or whatever."

This is my intention.

crazymoose2000

My friend has recently found out what to do in this situation, there daughter left education in June and started full time work right away in June. They contacted child benefit which was told it would stop August 31st. Child benefit then automatically tell child maintenance so there's nothing you need to do, the child maintenance calculation should update by end of September for any remaining children on it or to stop completely if they were the only child. Hope this makes sense!

Tailspin72

Thank for the reply. It does seem like it is waiting game to see if my ex decides to contact the HMRC about child benefit. 

maman

Tailspin72 said:

Thanks for your reply.

"If and how you choose to do that is up to you. You could, for example, save for her for a future expenditure such as a car or towards a property deposit or whatever."

This is my intention.

Just in case you're unaware, if you want to save for her, any account needs to be in your name if you don't want her to access it. 

Should you decide to simply supplement her income then the money goes directly to her rather than through your ex as previously with Child Maintenance. 

Northern_Wanderer

Child maintenance stops when child benefit stops. Child benefit stops on a "Terminal Date" which is dependent on the official end date of the education. What date did her course end officially? However, if your daughter is working more than 24 hours per week, child benefit should be informed and child benefit ceases immediately on the start date of work, and also child maintenance ends then too. If your ex is claiming UC, child element ends on the date the education ended. Also if your daughter has claimed benefits in her own right, child benefit etc ends.

The rules are clear if you have access to them.