Zero Hours, And Child Maintenance

[vonda]

Do I still have to pay the same amount of privately agreed maintenance if I am currently on a 'zero hours' contract? Also, my son is currently at 6th form, if he goes to Uni do I still continue to pay maintenance, or does it stop when he becomes 18?

[fiction-factory]

Zero hours doesn't necessarily (and probably doesn't ) mean zero pay. The answer I am pretty sure will be "it depends"

[Islay]

Unless you have come to an agreement with your childs mother its normally stops once the child finishes none advance fulltime education

[fiction-factory]

Do you just have the one child then covered by your child maintenance?

[ummmm]

Child benefit stops just before they turn 19 so that's the marker.

[Buenchico]

You no longer have to pay child maintenance after your son completes his studies for A-levels (or equivalent):
https://www.gov.uk/when-child-maintenance-payments-stop

Unless you've asked a court to make your private agreement over child maintenance payments legally binding, then it isn't. If you were so-minded, you could simply stop paying at any time. (However your son's father could then go down the path of seeking a formal arrangement via the Child Maintenance Service):
https://www.gov.uk/arranging-child-maintenance-yourself

It might therefore be sensible to try to revise your existing arrangement, on a voluntary basis, if your income level has dropped from what it used to be.

[Buenchico]

>>> Child benefit stops just before they turn 19 so that's the marker

No they don't. They stop at 20 if the young person is still studying for A-levels (or equivalent) or, if earlier, whenever the young person completes such studies. (See my first link above).

[Islay]

Child benefit is paid whilst the child remains in full time non advanced education.

[Buenchico]

^^^ Islay seems to have fallen into the trap of assuming that it's always a father who pays child maintenance to a mother. Voda's profile (and her previous posts) seem to suggest that the reverse is true here.

[Islay]

Chris they could be a same sex couple!
TBH it doesn't matter what sex the couple is - just that the information is correct - as mine is!

[ummmm]

My son started his A levels at almost 17. His child benefit stopped when he was almost 19.

[Islay]

That's because Ummm it was extended to cover to a certain date after his 18th Birthday whilst in full time non advance education

[ummmm]

Yeah, I know. Was just informing Chris. They wanted to know about his A levels and it's paid until just after they had finished.

After A levels have finished that's it, job done, they can go to uni and get student loans...

[Islay]

Yup I believe the date is 1st September unless they start working fulltime before then

[ummmm]

Just checked. I got 2 weeks on 12th Sep.

[Islay]

Yes that's about right as its paid a week behind and 3 weeks in advance.

[Sycamore3House]

It depends what was privately agreed. I had to pay for my child until further education was finished. When she was 18 & went to uni I paid her directly as she was no longer living at the family home.