The Department of Work and Pensions has recently opened a consultation on a proposed number of changes and improvements to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The Consultation is open to users of the CMS as well as members of the public.
The consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/child-maintenance-modernising-and-improving-our-service/child-maintenance-modernising-and-improving-our-service and closes on 6th August 2021.
Proposals for change include:
- Including unearned income information (held by HMRC) to be included in CMS calculations, as well as the paying parents’ earned income;
- All communications from and to CMS to be carried out digitally;
- Small volumes of low value debt to be extinguished where the value of the debt is significantly less than the cost of collecting it;
- Organisations which offer, promote or sell investment management services/facilitate share trading to provide information to the CMS when required, i.e. private pension providers;
- An easing on evidential requirements for self-employed parents to be eased where a change has been reported which breaches the income tolerance.
