Child Maintenance Bonus and Child Maintenance Premium
Last updated April 2004
- What is it?
- Can I get it?
- What else should I know?
- How much will I get?
- How do I claim?
- You can download a Child Maintenance Bonus claim form
- More information
- Other help
This benefit is dealt with by Jobcentre Plus. Find your local office.
What is it?
- The Child Maintenance Bonus is for people who receive child maintenance and leave benefit to start work. Child maintenance includes payment decided by a court order or the Child Support Agency, and voluntary payments.
- A one-off payment of up to £1,000
Can I get it?
- If you are claiming Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and receiving child maintenance, you may be eligible for either the Child Maintenance Bonus or the Child Maintenance Premium.
What else should I know?
A new child support scheme was introduced for new cases and some existing cases from 3 March 2003.
- If your claim for Child Support Maintenance was calculated after 3 March 2003 under the new rules, you will be allowed to keep the first £10 of any maintenance paid for your child(ren). This is called the Child Maintenance Premium.
- If your claim for Child Support Maintenance is currently assessed under the old rules, you may be able to get a cash bonus if you take up work that lifts you off benefit. This is the Child Maintenance Bonus.
How much will I get?
The amount you can get builds up while you are on benefit and getting maintenance.
How do I claim?
Contact the office that pays your benefit about Child Maintenance Bonus. You must claim Child Maintenance Bonus within 28 days of your benefit stopping.
You can download a Child Maintenance Bonus claim form
You can download a Child Maintenance Bonus claim form in PDF format. This form does not apply in Northern Ireland. Please choose a form from the options below.
- We recommend that you save this file to your computer hard disk or a floppy disk before printing it.
- To save a copy of the file to disk right click with your mouse on the link below and choose the 'Save Target As' option.
If
you want to print out a form to fill in with a pen (43KB) 
The form comes with notes that will help you fill in the form and tell you where to send the completed form.
If you are having difficulties
- downloading the form
- printing a hard copy
Please contact the e-Service Helpdesk.
More information
Changes in the way child maintenance is worked out mean that the Child Maintenance Bonus will be phased out when the reforms come into effect. If you are already getting child maintenance the amount you can get will build up until you are transferred to the new system. You will have a short time after that to claim Child Maintenance Bonus.
If you are a parent with care getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and you apply for child maintenance after the new system is introduced or once you are transferred to the new system, you will be able to keep up to £10 a week of the maintenance paid for your child(ren). This is called the Child Maintenance Premium.
For more information on how the changes will affect you, get in touch with your social security office or call the Child Support Agency's National Enquiry Line on: 0845 7 133 133.
Other help
- Employment on Trial (this link will take you to the Jobcentre Plus website)
- Extended Payment of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
- Income Support (this link will take you to the Jobcentre Plus website)
- Job Grant (this link will take you to the Jobcentre Plus website)
- Jobseeker's Allowance (this link will take you to the Jobcentre Plus website)
Remember that this website is only a general guide to benefits and schemes and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date shown at the top of this page. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.