When does Child Maintenance Stop?

What age does the child maintenance stop?

Child maintenance can be either:

1. made through the Child Maintenance Service - a government scheme
   
2. a private arrangement between you and the other parent

You need to have child maintenance arrangements for children under 16 (or under 20 if they’re in approved education or training). Therefore maintenance must be paid up until the child's 16th birthday or 20th birthday depending on their education or training status. See below for information on this.

If you make a private arrangement between you and the other party then you can continue paying after then if you want to.

Approved education

It appears that the government's definition of approved education for Child Maintenance is the same as its list for Child Benefit.

Education must be full-time (more than an average of 12 hours a week supervised study or course-related work experience) and can include:

1. A levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
   
2. T levels
   
3. Scottish Highers
   
4. NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to level 3
   
5. home education - if it started before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special needs
   
6. traineeships in England
   

Courses are not approved if paid for by an employer or ‘advanced’, for example a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate

.

Approved training

Approved training should be unpaid and can include:

1. Foundation Apprenticeships or Traineeships in Wales
   
2. Employability Fund programmes in Scotland
   
3. United Youth Pilot (if started before 1 June 2017), PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1 or Training for Success in Northern Ireland
   

Courses that are part of a job contract are not approved.

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