Child Maintenance Service Bewertungen 

Absolutely disgusting service (Genuinely need a 0 star for this service) and anyone working for this department should genuinely be ashamed of themselves.

I have been added as a representative to talk on my partners behalf as the level of prejudice and sexism the staff of this service have shown him actually makes me sick.

My partner is a disabled, highly HIGHLY decorated war veteran that would give anything to see his boys but is blocked by the mother then penalised by this disgusting service that should genuinely not be allowed to operate.

FALSE and FAKE fines applied. Stone walling to prevent complaints being made. Blocking phone numbers so you cant call. Dropping the call when you do get through!

Any other service would be completely overhauled but this still exists?? How is that even possible at this point?

The communication route has become so poor by these deviants that we are having to now get our local MP involved to even get a response from them!

They sent our company a letter requesting information about an employee. We were told to ring them on 0800 171 2345 to provide this. Their telephone number has 3 options (after listening to lots of useless drivel) but not a single one of the options is relevant to an employer/company

Poor communication. Completely wrong with paying parents calculation . Refused to look into his earnings thoroughly

1 star is generous for them. I had my child 3 nights a week a saw him every day to and they feel its OK to steal 192 a month give to my horrible ex partner and keep some cash for them selves for a direct pay service which I never agreed to and refuse to chance it or anything inless ex partner agrees. I've explained what there doing is barely leaving me enough to eat each month let alone buy myself clothes or trainers if needed. The staff seem really inconsiderate for my miss fortunes as ex is doing alot more evil and legal stuff to. I thought they were meant to be a neutral service but feels like they on the side on the enemy as in ex partnet

I explained to CSM that my expenses per month are more than how much i make and that CSM payments have left me unable to eat and borrowing money.
They sent me a letter with local soup kitchens.
I explained to them that my mental health is extremely effected, they offered no assistance and did not care. The only out i can see is to go on benefits.
On top of all this the figure im paying is incorrect. I have submitted evidence to prove this and they ignore me. Even one of the agents agreed with Me and wasn't sure how this was happening. Unfortunately the agents are just powerless company men.

Dreadful service, have used them twice and been let down both times. Still trying to get money owed for my first son and he's now 30 years old!
Never give clear answers to any questions and even when they do they constantly contradict what you were told before. Complaints aren't addressed appropriately. In summary, its a pointless service that doesn't support the parent caring for the child one bit. They claim to have all these powers to ensure absent parents support their child financially, but seem completely unable to use said powers. A complete and utter joke of a service.

Very poor, absolutely no help whatsoever and have zero interest in doing the right thing. Taking money off parents who have had their child taken away from them with no consideration of the financial implications. Gross income is used as a starting point and they don’t care what disposable income you actually have.

Treat men like criminals and there is absolutely no responsibility on the receiving parent to spend the money on the child.

Take forever to answer the phone.

Absolutely the worst.
Arbitrary decision making, stress inducing and not fit for purpose.
Killed more dads via suicide than you'd want to imagine.
Government should be ashamed of this mess.

I have acted as my son's representative due to his mental health problems and my experience as a man in his late seventies has been horrendous with the CMS.

They have not adhered to their own policy regarding people with mental health issues and bombard him and I with endless communications often receiving 3 separate letters in one day all giving conflicting information.

We had to obtain help from our MP and a member of The House if Lords before our written complaints were dealt with and upheld.

However, the behaviour from CMS remains the same, unhelpful, offering no support to those with difficulties and sending endless communications which are contradictory and confusing.

The stress this department causes to their clients is unsurmountable and I can imagine could result in tragic outcomes for many people.

This department and its staff need to be urgently reviewed as their behaviour towards people with mental health issues is deplorable and inhumane.

As much use as t!ts on a fish, mt wages dropped by 35% it took nearly 17 weeks, and I phoned them every week for 13 of those weeks for them to change my payments, when my wages went back to normal and they could take more money it was done within 5 days, and they claim to help both sides😂😂 19 years and yet still waiting to find a useful member off staff, they could not care less about you just the money

10 years of maladministration. RPs received nothing I had all monies paid back plus consolatory payment. The CMS stresses people over the edge. The DWP disclosed the CMS mortality rate which shows 3,X The national average in the Paying Parents demographic, higher in some age groups.
IT Systems that make Post Office Horizon seem good as accuracy and disparate systems produce errors across the nation.
This is Horizon MK 2 on steroids. The users know it, the staff know it ( see Glassdoor), the politicians know it and the civil servants are hiding it. The big issue here is that it's not that parents are failing to support their children, but are no longer here for them.
You must complain, you must go to ICE and to your MP. It is clear from the reviews urgent reform is required and justice delivered for those harmed as I and the RPs were.

Everything takes ages to process. Also they have an utter mess in their office. The web service looks being updated by hand. While calling their number, every consultant says different things. The only good thing was that after a long wait they have managed to deal with my case.

God help anyone that has to deal with these muppets. Completely incompetent. Never provide back up to assessments. I've been trying to to resolve arrears for over a year now.

This company is creating fraudulent arrears against people then producing fraudulent evidence in court against them. They force the courts to be biased using section 33 which states the court can't question the calculation. How can peoples human rights be removed so easily by a government that claim we can't stop illegal criminals entering our country because of human right. This system is a joke and is killing hundreds a year. It is a extremist group made to terrorise people.

Absolutely shambles I pay £270 pm for 2 boys which I absolutely love to bits but haven't seen them since June 2025 apart from there Nativity play in primary school at Xmas 2025. It should be £250 then the robbing gits take £20 of for charge. I get roughly 1230 pm take the £270 of then rent and other bills there a discrase.

Lots of disgruntled fathers taking up issue with an EXTREMELY important organisation. Without them, I would not have received a single penny. I AM SO GRATEFUL!!!

One star is generous.

The Child Maintenance Service is not broken by accident — it is broken by design.

I was placed into fictitious arrears despite doing everything required of me. I notified CMS immediately when my circumstances changed, complied fully, and repeatedly chased them for clarity. Their failure to act, delay decisions, and provide accurate calculations was then used against me.

Key failures:
• Decisions made without evidence or basic verification
• Long delays followed by retrospective penalties
• Arrears created solely due to CMS inaction
• Enforcement threats issued without lawful documentation
• Zero accountability when errors are proven

Even after a Tribunal confirmed CMS were wrong, there was no apology, no correction of harm, and no urgency to put matters right. Instead, the burden is placed entirely on the paying parent to fight an opaque system that does not follow its own rules.

This is not about avoiding responsibility — it is about a government body that:
• Penalises compliance
• Rewards delay and incompetence
• Operates without transparency
• Causes avoidable financial and emotional harm

If this were a private company, it would not be allowed to trade.

Until CMS is independently audited, held accountable, and stripped of its enforcement powers without due process, it will continue to damage families while claiming to “support children”.

Avoid if you value fairness, accuracy, or basic administrative competence.

The Child Maintenance Service are a front for state sponsored extortion and run by bullies who are too focused on chasing targets and ticking boxes to put children and families first.
They act with impunity and anonymously.
They act at a glacier speed, lie, misinform and give conflicting information.
If you are PAYE you're an easy target to punish and add to the figures in the resolved target.
They actively discriminate against paying parents,
After an 18 month battle they refuse to use submitted bank statements as proof of payment, yet can deliver a DEO in 12 days.
It took 5 months for them to provide an initial payment plan on a new case and then back dated it to create arrears. I had paid voluntarily for this period, same amount each month and as it turned out I had overpaid.
They have had my bank statements as proof. I was still put on collect and pay.
They claim the delay was because I am homeless they could not contact me. I already had an existing case with my first exwife to whom I've paid maintenance to for over a decade without issue , this means they already had my mobile number, my email and I was registered for the online portal.
They took 5 months to return my son to the plan after he returned to fulltime education, despite me calling multiple times to correct this.
I asked for an account statement which I was told in writing would take 12 weeks. It took 40.
When it arrived it was so inaccurate I thought it was someone else's sent by mistake. Payments are wrong and dates of payments too.
They refuse to accept they're wrong, if they had addressed this promptly it would of been simple to correct.
They're own delays have made it complicated.
I have no issues paying for my children, they are mine,I paid voluntarily to ensure they're welfare but I cannot afford to pay more than I should I need to live and find a home myself. My 2nd exwife has taken advantage of their incompetence and weaponised CMS to gain more.
She has remarried, she has 2 incomes, benefits and my maintenance. She remains in the home with anything of mine she chose to keep.
Ii am now beginning the process of contacting the independent case examiner after 2 years of trying to prove there are no arrears. I have had the arrears taken twice over and paid a considerable amount of charges.
Your MP is supposed to hurry them up, but they just mislead them too.
They ignore emails, do not call you when promised and lie.
If you can arrange payment between yourself and your ex do so, these vampires will mess it up if involved.
They literally could not find their own ass or anybody else's with both hands.

If I can give them zero rating I would have done so.. shameful that these people are dealing with such important and sensitive issues yet they have no knowledge and no will to actually help.. Broken Britain

Only actually get things sorted by calling them IF you’re willing or have the time to sit on hold for 30-50 mins. Constantly speaking to different advisors who don’t know the situation. I requested a callback from the person who dealt with case previously and shock, no phone call. Feel trapped and limited to anything I can do, especially when they have false information on a case. Been waiting since October to resolve the issue, now in December and still isn’t resolved. Let’s be honest, there is no chat option either, just a bluff to prevent you calling them. Searched the online portal high and low for it but there’s absolutely nothing on there, or anything to direct you too it. Zero help and feel as though hands are tied. Country is on its arse.