CSA Calculator

Use our CSA calculator to find out how much you could be expected to pay the Child Support Agency, depending on your income, how many children you have, how many over-night stays you have and how many children you have living with you.

CSA Payment Calculator

 

Child Support Agency Calculator

It can be confusing working out how much you'll have to pay the Child Support Agency, and when they send demands for payment they're not very open about how they've worked it out. The specific calculations they use are based on algorithms using information such as how many children you're responsible for, whether you have them overnight, the number of children you also have living with you and, of course, your own income.

In order to help you understand the CSA's calculations, and indeed to check they have worked it out correctly, our CSA calculator allows you to enter the relevant details and see how much you would be expected to pay as a non-resident parent.

Also, for parents with care, you can see how much money the CSA will be expecting to claim from the non-resident parent, so you can use our CSA calculator to check that your payments from the CSA match the money they're meant to be taking.

Please remember that, even though our CSA calculator uses the formula as detailed by the Child Support Agency, it is still just a guide to CSA payments. The Child Support Agency may have worked out your payments differently, either through having different information or through errors on their part, so it may not match up. Our CSA calculator is a useful guide though to how much child maintenance should be paid, and we hope that you'll find it useful.

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Feedback on the CSA Calculator

Please leave your feedback on the CSA Calculator

  • We’ve just added a comments facility on this calculator, so please let us know what you think of it – and whether what it says you should be paying or receiving is correct against what the CSA says you should be paying/receiving.

  • deano says:

    i find the calculator too vague,it does n’t take into account any individual circumstances,my own circumstances i have a thai partner,who’s not entitled to work or claim any benefits yet,as i’m currently looking for work i’m in a situation where i’m expected to manage on benefits for one person,whilst paying back to the council 10.65 from my rent award and 5.00,is being deducted from my job seekers for maintenance,i’m living in one room with my partner and 5 month old baby,whilst my ex has her own house and business,how can this be right ?.figures are taken as a general amount,is there a more detailed way of working out what is included or exempt from calculations,ie,how much rent i pay and is this taken into account as rents can vary hughely even in my loal area.also what about existing financial obligations,loans hp agreements credit cards etc.they all expect to be paid but dont seem to exist as far as csa is concerned,does anyone else have the same problem,i should imagine so as the average person in britain has debs of around 10.000.thanks for your time,deano

  • Hi Deano

    The calculator uses the same formula as the CSA. They don’t take into account any outgoings. They don’t take your rent, mortgage, loans, bills or any payments into account. They only care about what you earn, how many children you look after and how many nights your children stay with you.

    That’s the problem with the CSA I’m afraid.

  • sheralee says:

    i have just used the calculator and it came up with just under £20 a week, yet the csa say they take my husbands gross income along with working tax and child tax i get for my daughter, then take away 15% for my daughter then 15% of what is left for my husbands other daughter, they came up with a amount of £38 a week and £9 off the arrears so how cna that vary so much for the calculator on here

  • They can’t. If they are asking for a different amount, get them to explain it.

  • Chris Garton says:

    At present I work up to 7 days a week, I earn on average 57k a year, I no longer see the point off working weekends as my protected earnings is 566.02 weekly, what would happen if I was to work self employed on a weekend through cis

  • Emma says:

    The CSA are pains. They call my partner all the time and then we keep receiving post. I’m sick of seeing his exes name coming into my house. The CSA do not take into account your individual circumstances, they will take what they want. Beware.

  • wilemm says:

    I have a friend who is jobless, homeless, and penniless but still pays child support which I think is being compulsorily deducted from his housing allowance. Perhaps that will be stopped now he has no house.

    I’ve tried using the calculator but without knowing what net income means, what use is it?

    Does anyone know what benefits are included in net income?

  • wilf says:

    All benefits are net as no tax or N.I. are paid if no income is actually earnt.
    Child maintenance is normally deducted by the Benefits Agency.

  • Sam says:

    My net earnings per calender month is £1900 have two children at least twice a week, so between 104 and 155 nights a week. What would I have to pay out each week?

  • Michael says:

    Hi
    I have 2 young boys. One boy is 12 and one boy is 8. I have split from both mothers and have been paying both women money since we split up using a csa agreement for my oldest son and paying private agreement with my youngest son. Recently my oldest son has stopped visiting (stayed every weekend) because of his mother’s interference. Once he stopped visiting I stopped my payments as I wanted to force her to give me access to my son again. In response to this she contacted the csa who have made an assessment of my earning and are trying to get me to pay £96 a week out my net £380 under the old pre 2003 csa calculator. With my outgoings, which include my private agreement for my other child and bringing up another small child I really can’t see where I am going to get this money from.
    Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to get my second child assessed through the csa and get moved over to the post 2003 csa calculator. I have read through the leaflet information and they have said that this would be the only way to move my first son onto the post 2003 calculator. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

  • Alun says:

    Hi Micheal

    I can only advise you on my circumstances but i had the same problems. Csa will treat your first child as your only one and deduct 15% of your wages and not include your second child which you pay for. the best option you have is to register your second child through them and have it put as an active account with a private arrangement so Csa will take into account that you are paying for 2 children ensuring only 10% is going to first sons mother.

    This is all through what happened to me so sorry. I’m just another father in ruin after dealing with the csa. Goodluck

  • allan says:

    i pay £83.77 a week i went on the cash calulater which says i should pay £48 a week when i asked the csa about this thay say my payments are worked out diffrently because my case started before 2002 iv tried everythink i can to sort this out with the csa but thay say i must pay the £83.77 thay dont care as long has thay get the money

  • john davies says:

    Hi, can anyone help me with a calculation please.

    My weekly nett is 534. I have two children with different partners, neither of which i live with. Each child stays with me one day and night a week.

    What should I officially be paying each mother?

    Many thanks

  • According to the calculator John you should be paying £91.54 per week.

  • susan davies says:

    son been at university since october living independently,we are still paying £100 month,it is an detachment of earnings order and has been for years,the CSA are now saying we havnt paid enough yet they decided how much to detach in the first place,and have always had accurate details of my husbands income.how can they do this? we have recently had an MP involved to stop the payments.

  • dean says:

    hi , i have 2 young boys 1 that lives with me and one with my ex. my basic take home is £1550 yet i have to earn £1900 and do overtime to cover the bills.
    the CSA have told me that they will take the overtime in consideration and add onto my sons payments, i HAVE NO CHOICE but to do overtime. i have my other son 2 nights a week without fail, as the calculator says one thing and the CSA says another.

  • Sarah says:

    My partner earns £19,000 gross before overtime and he tells me his weekly net take home is £1185. He pays maintainance to another child and he has told me we both get £10% of his net income which is £120 each. Is this right?

  • Jenny says:

    I have 1 child and my ex partner lives with his girlfriend and other son. He earns net income of 26,000 what should he pay me?

  • jamie says:

    i get just over £1000 a month after tax, i have to pay my leasehold, gas, water, electric, council tax,tv license and contract phone which i need on 24/7 just incase one of my kids get ill, before i can even think of my kids or myself these bills have to be paid. what will i have to pay?

  • John says:

    I am on benefits and live with my partner we have two children together and she has three children with someone else we get £50 a week csa for the 3 I have 2 other children with someone else will I have to pay csa and how much

  • alan says:

    im not working but am not entitled to any benefits i was working till 2 yrs ago when had accident at work now i live on 320.00 a month
    i was contacted by csa today i hung up on them becouse i dont know wat to say
    ill prob have to pay somthing
    any advise ??
    cheers alan

  • Michelle says:

    My husband has been offered a job in Dubai, the salary is split into a basic salary and expenses/ allowances per month. I have 2 questions – Does my husband have to keep making payments to the csa for his children with his ex wife whilst living in Dubai and if so do they work the calculations out on basic salary only or do they include expenses too?

  • mike says:

    i get 18,500 a year befor tax have one childe that stays with me over 73 nights a year how much should i be paying a week then for that because iv paid 500 -600 pound some month work that one out and only ever missed 2 payments in nearly 3 year wich was csa fault because i changed banks gave you my new details and you never changed it on system then had cheek to deduct from my earning making me look like a right tool to my comapang which i have worked for 7 years

  • kelly says:

    My husband has two children by the same mother (the son lives with the mother and the daughter lives with the grandmother – mums side). Until recently he had a voluntary arrangement where he paid a total of 20% of his earnings for his children (10% to each adult with care).

    Due to recent changes in how the csa now calculate amounts, my husbands ex wife has contacted the csa and has asked for the payments to go through them. The csa are basing the calculation on one child and are refusing to take the other child into consideration (my husband will be required to pay 15% of his earnings to his ex wife on the basis of only having one child). My husband has opened a non resident parent with care application for his daughter, but the csa are refusing to take this other case into consideration. What can my husband do so that each guardian gets 10% and the mother doesn’t get extra money that she is not entitled too?).

  • Chloe says:

    Hi ive got a little girl with my ex, we have been split up over two years to which he has been paying me £300 a month, he is now moaning about this but i have checked on the calculator and typed in what he earns a month, and the calculator says i should be gettin £101 a week ive told him this and he is still saying i aint getting no more, and he will get a lower paid job just so he aint got to give me as much money, if i contact csa, can they make him pay me what he is supposed to? he only has my daughter 3-4 nights a month

  • Ray says:

    Hi, I have 2 children with separate partners, one unfortunately I do no see but the other stays with me over 175 days per year, we also have my current partners son living with us, my weekly gross income is £481 net £381, how much am I suppsed to pay? Thanks

  • marrabone says:

    Do they realise that by counting the number of nights a non resident parent has their child as part of the calculation in the way that they do, they are encouraging the parent with care to break their agreement with regard to contact. For instance, if a parent has their child to stay for 2 nights a week then that is 104 night per year. The parent with care only has to withhold the child for one night each year and then they can claim a higher amount of maintenance for the whole of the year.
    Feel free to correct me if l am wrong.

  • Dave says:

    Could some one give me a bit of advice please i pay the csa 205 out off my wadges every month for two kids and i give my other kids mother 200 pound i cant aford to give her 200 hundred any more i said 150 she said no 200 pound or not seeing kids. i only work part time should i go to the csa about the 4 kids

  • Robert Jones says:

    Is this calculator the same as the old csa calculator? I can only find the gov.uk calculator now but that’s asking for my gross pay and not my net. I’m confused as to what I should be paying now.

    I earn £1450 net per month and in the past I always used the csa online calculator until it got pulled. Now I don’t know what to do.

  • csa take your pay and squeeze the life out of it everyone should pay for their kids but not to the point where they leave the non resident parent struggling and it effects what you can do with your kids when you do spend time with them and after they are 18 it should stop, paying till they are 20 is just rediculous they are not children then they are adults and entiled to their own money sort it out csa

  • practicing says:

    What is the formula for the real CSA calculator that they use anyone know?

  • Dave says:

    What about existing Court Orders ? Between 2005 & 2009 I was paying £350 for my three children and the CSA took another £110 per month on top for a child I didn’t know I had until the CSA wrote to me. Now they say this was wrong and a r e demanding £4000 arrears. Surely if it was correct then, they can’t just decide to ignore it now. on that basis I would have been paying over 40 per cent of my income in maintenance.

    MP no real use either. They just go with the CSA decision. I can’t pay my mortgage yet the ex has ‘re married and lives between UK and Australia !!

  • LC says:

    Would be helpful if you could split the time wit the childre, My step daughter only spends one night a fotnight with her mum where as my Step son spends 2 nights every fortnight.

  • Mel says:

    Net Income – Weekly Monthly or Per Annum??

  • Paul says:

    I can’t believe what is happening without any acceptance or voting from the electorate ( therefore next time you vote get these ‘Tory steal from the poor and give to the rich’ b******s out.

    How can they close down a ‘nonprofit’ organisation CSA, which calculated maintenance on the money you earned in your hand. Then, open a new ‘business’,the CSM, which ‘dictates’, Maintenance calculations for you to pay out of your net income, based on your gross income, before you are even taxed/NI?

    This is ‘Austerity’ gone to dictatorial measures, it’s criminal – what next? Calculating my maintenance on my earning potential? My maintenance now based on the ‘forced upon us’ gross income calculation, is more than my mortgage!!

    This will push people over the edge, inspire a member of a couple to split up because of the golden maintenance promise and push those people happy to work to give up.

    The dictators ‘Tory government banker saving twunts’ are not stopping at CSA now CSM, look at our public services!! Probation / Police / Fire. Meanwhile if you earn more than 150k you pay less income tax from five years ago reducing every year!!!

    Rant over – time for the masses to rise against the Tory town and country corporation, they’ll take everything if we don’t!!

  • Julie Heron says:

    Please please please can you tell me if CSA is to be worked out on Gross or Net income ? ? ? Many thanks

  • kerri says:

    my two daughter dad never paid a penny and c.s.a chases him time and time again. They was 10 &13 there now 22 and 25 is he still liable to pay the back dated payment ?

  • JaneDoe says:

    My daughters ex has always paid me 100 a month as he said that was all he could afford. Never took him to CSA now his big mouthed wife has decided that instead of paying maintenance to me they are going to put it into a savings account for when my daughter is older. Absolutely tamping about the gaul of the woman. Have contacted the CSA this morning and will sit back and watch the fire works. Some fathers shouldn’t be fathers when they can’t even pay for basic expenses. Couldn’t believe how much some of you dads are paying. Pat on the back for those of you who do actually step up to the plate.

  • Bob says:

    Hi I am on esa basic of £73.10 per week, I had to leave my job due to very ill health and I am currently sofa surfing. I have 2 children (13 and 8) and am currently paying my ex £30 a month CMA based on the gov calculator. Is this correct as my ex keeps asking for more but I can’t physically giv any more as I have to pay my way with my very where I stay plus I am having to file for bankruptcy soon. I have a court order for my kids, I have them over night every other weekend plus every Wednesday evening until 9pm, 2 weeks in summer hols, 1 week at xmas and 1 week at Easter plus odd days here and there?

  • Mark says:

    Yes, can someone PLEASE answer the previously unanswered question on here: is net income weekly or monthly? Would have thought that’s pretty important to the calculations! Thank you.

  • Destiny says:

    Hi I’m after abit of advice I’ve a lil boy 7 mths n lil girl 6 there dad didn’t bother with his daughter for the first few yrs they don’t stop over he works but says he can’t afford to pay towards the children if I was to go to csa how much a wk would he have to pay thank u for any advice

  • Janis says:

    I currently have my own car and get paid by employers a car allowance, is this taken into account for csa payments? As I could have a company car instead?

  • Haha says:

    104 nights a week?

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