Which children are covered by child support?

The Child Support legislation governs the level of child maintenance that should be paid by a natural parent (not a step-parent, even if he or she has in the past assumed financial responsibility for the child) who is not resident in the child's household to the parent with care.

It does not cover:

• step children;
• school fees;
• where the absent parent is resident outside the UK;
• if the parent with care is resident outside the UK;
• if the child is resident outside the UK.

It covers natural children up to the age of 17, or 19 if they are in certain types of full time education.