Child Maintenance Service Reviews 

I’ve had a deeply disappointing experience with CMS, particularly in my dealings with my son. Despite providing clear evidence that my son turned 18 in October 2024, left full-time education in June 2025, and started a paid apprenticeship in July 2025, CMS continued to demand maintenance payments that should no longer apply.

Instead of reviewing the case fairly and promptly, Joshua dismissed my concerns and failed to properly consider the evidence. This has caused unnecessary stress and financial strain at an already difficult time.

Parents should be able to trust CMS to act fairly and transparently. Unfortunately, my experience shows that the system is slow, unhelpful, and unwilling to properly acknowledge when a child is no longer eligible for maintenance.

I hope CMS improves its processes so that other parents don’t go through the same unfair treatment.

i advice any parents when you divorce or seperate don't contact child maintenance just look after your child by working and not get involve this firm when you ring them no respect what's ever on the phone they got the power they can remove your child the way they want so you can run out money for months for no reason honnestly or don't have any kids they are not humain just bad people disgraceful firm

Absolutely disgusting service that needs a major overhaul. Arrears on my account of £400, but CMO has detailed over £4000! They refuse to deal with complaints and terminate calla. Some people rely on this service and I feel for the people who do. My complaint has been ongoing months and they breach their own complaints procedure but so not care.

I did not want to give any stars at all.
All I have had with this place is bad experience and lies money I was finally able to get from them which they was holding on to for 3 months was sent to someone else's account which they are trying to say I gave them this account 🤔 why would I do that and now they are saying they cannot get this money back 😕 they now are holding onto 3 months I am owed and telling me they have not received anything from the father of my children even though he has proof it automatically gets taken from his wages its a joke and every single person you speak to from CM has no clue what they are doing and each person you speak to tells you completely different things each time

Child maintenance shouldn't automatically belive the claiming parent, they should contact the other parent before saying oh yes you are entitled to x amount of money, and get both sides of what is actually happening and who is paying for what.

Dreadfully slow service.
My child is now 20 years old, my ex is paying arrears from childhood for another 3 years. Given the regular weekly maintenance was only ever £6.13 a week during childhood (less than a £1 a day…?) I had hope this service would have provided maintenance when needed and recover the full amount.
There is no ergency with payments that are needed to feed and clothe children. Disgusting service that needs improving

CMS has been ruining peoples lives for decades and I think their computor system is as flawed as the Post Office, maybe for smaller amounts but the scale of those overcharged must be huge. Trying to help resolve my Sons case has been impossible, 14 different amounts since April 24, 24 letters, 2 complaints completely ignored, referral to MP. Arrears rising from £450 - £1360 despite having paid way more than he is due. Who can help us?? This is an absolute disgrace.

Rubbish service and simply a legal system, whereby CMS receive more money themselves on the basis of getting as much money out of a paying parent.

Outdated payment calculation method.

Outdated care calculation based on nights allowing the receiving parent to bend the payment amounts to their benefit.

Constant harrasment towards the paying parent.

Constant opening of variations on behalf of the receiving parents suspicions alone.

Complete disregard to the paying parents financial commitments.

These facts are also just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Child Robbery Service.

How a system can be in place in 2025 whereby a parent that is actively contributing financially and responsibility wise in exactly the same context towards the child/children, gets his finances/wealth directly transferred to the receiving parent, whilst having an equal responsibility and financial stability because of the only small difference of overnight care per year.

How is it fair for a receiving parent to be classed the "main" carer if the paying parent has 40% care each year for the children, and has every expense to cover just as the receiving parent does, but on top have to financially support the receiving parent as well on the basis that its not exactly 50/50 and be called the "non main carer", I.e the "paying parent".

40% complete seperate care for the child/children with equal day to day responsibility and care for the child/children, as well as financially but are not a main carer. Pfft my ****.

How is it deemed a "volentary payment" for anything bought for the children outside the CMS when a paying parent with 40% care has to provide everything the children needs on exactly the same level as the receiving parent does.Its not voluntary. Its a requirement.

How is it allowed that the receiving parent does not have to prove where the enormous weekly payment goes, and is allowed to just live off the paying parent indefinitely? Whilst at the same time abusing the system and paying parent, by forcing the paying parent to pick up all of the costs on top because they have an equal responsibility for the children but is "volentary" due to a small difference in overnight stays as the only difference in care and responsibility.

A system whereby bills and taxes are going up seemingly every other day. The paying parent has to deal with this on top of not being able to change their maintenance payments unless income drops by 25% or more!

A system whereby payments are worked out before tax is deducted! How on earth is it fair for someone to be paying maintenance on a figure that is not even the actual income of the paying parent.

A system whereby an equally active, involved and financially providing paying parent is told that child maintenance payments are more important than any other bill or commitment, and if you end up as a result be financially incapable tough luck.

It's sickening that the system in place is pure black and white due to it being too hard work to look at specific childcare arrangements, but can put a huge amount of effort in to making the paying parent pay as much money as possible.

How this system and framework is even accepted by any paying parent is absolutely beyond me. Its just yet another robbery scheme that is set up not by reducing chances of child poverty, but creating divide in co-parenting and ensuring that a receiving parent has a lot more income than a paying parent whilst having the same financial cost to children.

Sends a clear message that having children can be extremely devastating on your finances for decades if the CMS are involved.

It also sends a clear message to receiving parents that the more difficult they make it for overnight stays the more money they will receive unless the paying parent has to spend an obscene amount of money in court to fight back.

People worry about marrying and getting divorce? Having to deal with the CMS till the children turn 20 is far far worse.

Call for the sacking of Peter Schofield the DWP is not fit for purpose it’s all over the place staff training is none existent and no one knows the process even senior management….shocking

Honestly 1 star rating is a given, called today as my mom has been paying every month after cancelling her case, my father has not paid 1 penny since the case started so decided to call CMS to get in contact with him and sort it out, first call the lady on the phone was absolutely lost, she couldn’t put sentence together let alone deal my case, she lied about everything. The Second Lady was the rudest one yet, sounded like an old miserable lady. This service is atrocious, I don’t see why they even take calls. Disgusting customer service! Terrible company! Disgusting staff.

This service let's dad still financial abouse their x partners and their kids .
15 years now ive bewn going thru this compmay they let debt accumialte, they dont contact the dad until the mothers desperate.

You literally let dads get away with not paying for their kids.

Easy to use, fair and clear.
Ex partner opened up a case several years ago and no problems since.

25 mins on hold waiting to talk to someone after randomly receiving a text from them. Another government department going down.

I informed my wife that I would need to pay the CMS payment a few weeks late this month due to needing to pay my mortgage and unforeseen plumbing bills. She has out the bloodsucking CMS onto me within one day and despite me waiting for more than two years to get a response to a complaint they are chasing me hard with threats of sanctions. To them men aren't equal. They're not parents. They're just cash points there to be bled dry. The courts have already given her the house with no mortgage, my car and most of my pension. She has £600,000.... She is not poverty struck having just returned from a third foreign holiday this year.... Why is the CMS so sexist. Why do they not apply some fairness and common sense. I can't go on. I'm going to top myself.

The worst service in the UK, appalling is an understatement

I'd prefer the option of giving 0 stars. Never had a call answered under 35mins. Call handlers providing conflicting information, lying and telling you anything to get you off the phone or they just cut you off when you question something. Those making the decisions rather than ask for more information or clarification just Reject your request forcing Manditory Reconsiderations. Do they get paid on the number of requests being closed?

the worst service to exist.

Totally disorganised, unhelpful, no use of initiative and a total mess.

Although I have provided a court order, stating I have equal shared care with my ex (& the CMS has acknowledged this), they still order that I pay maintenance. I have challenged this decision but am now having to go apply to the tribunal service. I am the one having to upload document after document to prove that we have equal shared care (even though we have a court order in place), I have answered all of the questions about who takes our child to the Doctors, dentists, out of school clubs etc on the phone to the CMS twice. Their systems don't seem to link up the various changes that are "being worked on", so everything is dealt with separately, when it needs to be looked at as a whole case.
Just an absolute mess that urgently needs sorting!
I have wasted so many hours on the phone to the CMS and still nothing has been sorted.

One-Star Review of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS):

“Where Logic Goes to Die”

If you ever wondered what it feels like to live in a Monty Python sketch directed by Franz Kafka, may I introduce you to the Child Maintenance Service.

Let’s start with “accuracy.” CMS has elevated the art of being wrong into a full-time profession. Tell them you’re unemployed? They’ll immediately assume you’re secretly running Goldman Sachs from your garden shed and bill you £5500 a month. Notify them of Child Benefit? They’ll nod politely, bin your letter, and carry on pretending the other parent is still the “main carer” because, well, it’s Tuesday.

Then there’s the “case closure” magic trick. I never asked for my case to be closed—why would I? But CMS, in its infinite wisdom, decided I did. It’s a neat trick: shut the case you fought to open, then pretend it’s your fault. If only Netflix had this level of creative writing.

Transparency? Picture a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat, except the rabbits are arrears you don’t owe, and the hat is on fire. One month my arrears are wiped, the next month they’re back—bigger, bolder, and completely fabricated. Add in a missing £12000 payment they “forgot” to record, and suddenly I’m starring in their own personal Monopoly game where the rules change every roll of the dice.

The complaints system? Imagine writing to Santa Claus, only instead of a present you get a letter three months later telling you Christmas has been cancelled because you didn’t use the correct colour crayon. CMS’s idea of “resolution” is to ignore you long enough that you either give up or start talking to the Independent Case Examiner like they’re your therapist.

Fairness? That’s rich. If you’re a parent paying maintenance, you’re automatically guilty until proven bankrupt. Meanwhile, the other parent could probably move to the Bahamas and CMS would still send them postcards asking how the weather is.

In summary: CMS is a machine that feeds on stress, runs on contradiction, and has weaponised incompetence into policy. If this were a restaurant, you’d order fish and chips, they’d send you an unpaid bill for lobster, and then accuse you of theft because you didn’t eat the chips fast enough.

I would give it -10 if possible a masterclass in theft, robbery and down right evil. This service doesn't help anyone but themselves removing evidence and making up lies. A true entity of Satan. Call handlers and case managers have no empathy compassion or understanding its like they take pleasure in the torture or souls. This service has taken many a life to suicide as they are left with no hope.