Parents are distressed after substantial sums of money were wrongfully withdrawn from their bank accounts due to child maintenance errors. John Hammond, a 56-year-old math teacher from Peterborough, had nearly £20,000 deducted by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) despite his child support agreement ending over ten years ago. Hammond, whose children were adults at the time, expressed shock and disbelief at the unauthorized withdrawal, initially mistaking it for a scam.
In 2002, Hammond received a letter from the Child Support Agency, the predecessor of the CMS, indicating a debt of £947, which was later waived at his ex-wife’s request. However, in 2019, he was surprised to receive a letter from the CMS claiming he owed almost £19,000. Subsequently, £19,269 was debited from his account in December 2020. After a legal dispute, Hammond successfully appealed the decision, leading to the full reimbursement of the deducted amount. Despite being awarded £8,000 in legal costs, he incurred £14,055 in fees, leaving him with a net loss of over £6,000.
Child maintenance serves as a financial support system for covering a child’s daily expenses in cases of parental separation or non-cohabitation. Several parents, including Richard George, 63, have reported similar instances of miscalculated child maintenance payments, erroneous deductions, and prolonged legal battles with the CMS. George had £18,800 withdrawn from his account in late 2019, despite having successfully appealed to annul over £16,000 in arrears in 2016. The CMS’s communication errors, including sending letters to an incorrect address, further exacerbated the situation for affected parents.
According to reports, the CMS received 92,700 requests in 2025 for reconsideration of decisions, with 21,400 cases found to be inaccurate or requiring additional information for decision revision. The CMS, overseen by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), operates payment arrangements based on the paying parent’s income, boasting high assessment accuracy rates nearing 100%. Disputed payment arrangements can be appealed, with independent tribunals determining the outcome.
In response to the concerns raised, a DWP spokesperson emphasized the CMS’s commitment to resolving disputes through voluntary payments, reinstating regular payments, and resorting to enforcement measures only in cases of persistent non-payment. Despite the challenges faced by affected parents, efforts are being made to address and rectify child maintenance errors to ensure fair and accurate support for families in need.