Child Maintenance Service Reviews 

Unfortunately they are Legal scammers, they plan is to destroy parents, useless help line without qualifications,it is impossible to find out from where they are getting figures, they know one answer HMRC.

Zero point of this company honest to god 🤦‍♀️
I just genuinely can’t even be arsed to go into how awful they are, wasn’t worth the £20 sign up fee. They hardly ever chase for the money and if they do it takes months and months lol loads of different loop holes so you could be owe £20,000 in arrears and csa still won’t be able to get it 🤦‍♀️ staff are rude and each one is as thick as the next, none of them can tell you anything.

Pushed to the absolute brink time after time. Totally unjust and unfair system leaving paying parents in utter desperation. Serves nothing other than to break people and relationships with their children with outlandish miscalculations, no attempt to rectify errors and arrears which suddenly appear from nowhere with no justification. Payments worked out on Gross income meaning it’s worked out before you’re taxed, so effectively money you do not actually have, see or benefit from. Nevermind rent/mortgage, living and countless other bills!!!!! Pushed me to breaking point several times over the years 🤬

The CMS is not fit for purpose. It is in a total mess with responses without explanation, incorrect calculations, failure to respond, email today says one thing totally wrong, followed by text with unbelievably conflicting message. This service is costing lives and making people ill. What government is going to do something about it?

Absolutely shocking service, constantly says my payments are changing, and that I am in arrears, eve though I made a payment on account, then send me a letter to say they have tried to contact me several times (they haven't to my knowledge), and moving me on to collect and pay for something I am not aware of. Takes over an hour to answer the phone, and then to add this I raised a complaint as per their process, I had the letter tracked and they recieved in the end of March and they are to contact me about that. Really starting to impact my mental health as they create such a stressful experence. You should able to have different ways to contct them, or leave messages on your account page for them, only having a phone number is poor, and then not adhering to their own complaint process is shocking.

I've never known a company who send letters telling you how much arrears are owed and when you call them because ure child is owed hundreds more in missed payments. For them to tell you the financial abuser has payed over 1000 to much so it will be taking of money hes still not paying! 3 hours today and many many MANY more calls ive made. Ive got to say if you a mum who the abuser only has a hold of money over you now. This collect and pay service isn't for you. Don't do it! Its a kick in the teeth over and over again! Today im even considering closing it down as its not worth the stress and anxiety this company causes considering their supposed to be their for the child. HONESTLY DONT DO IT!!

Absolutely disgraceful service. Vague letters, no proper explanations, inconsistent decisions and what feels like complete double standards. You are left chasing by phone for answers, often after long waits, only to speak to people who cannot properly explain what is happening.
For an organisation dealing with child maintenance, the lack of transparency and accountability is appalling. The whole process is unfair, stressful and not fit for purpose.

What a shambolic and disgusting organisation to deal with was told that money was going to come out of my wages next month on the 19th of June and was going to go up and then started to take money out of my wages on the 21st of may as I was paying weekly directly from my bank account when I got paid I rang them back to get more clarification and they just weren’t interested I told them I’m struggling and I’m behind on my priority bills they just don’t care at all this is why a lot of people commit suicide because of people like this these vile creatures need to be investigated asap.

The level of incompetence shown by the CMS has been staggering. Letters taking weeks to arrive, online portals not working, being told one thing by a member of staff then something completely different happening….. I’ve never felt so frustrated or helpless dealing with an organisation before. Especially given that it deals with an incredibly important topic - our children!

I would rate it zero if I could. They are corrupted and not fit for purpose. They don’t follow their own government guidelines and ruin peoples lives. Even when mountains of evidence and facts are provided they still don’t care and will continue to cause chaos. They even commit fraud by stealing money from bank accounts with made up calculations. Their own tribunal and complaints service is governed by themselves - so nothing can be trusted or impartial. A huge reform is needed as this will be the next post office scandal.

Not fit for purpose, system is a failure for both paying parents and receiving parents, they scam money out of hard working individuals who are willing to pay their fair share of cost to support their children, however do nothing to help parents who are in the receiving end, dealing with parents who refuse to support their children. The system is BROKEN!!

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is fundamentally broken and unfit for purpose. The staff consistently demonstrate a shocking lack of competence and routinely ignore official HMRC evidence provided to them. Instead of following clear financial data, they act entirely as they please, causing immense and unnecessary stress. The organisation is failing families and needs a complete overhaul.

Worst service ever, said I had £9000 arrears but couldn’t provide any proof as they said it was all destroyed when they changed from CSA to CMS. ICE investigated and said that nothing had been done wrong by CMS and that the £9000 stands. Several phone calls I was told if I had been a better father then I wouldn’t be dealing with them. Was interested in how they were making me feel or that I suffer with mental health. It’s time they were shut down

The Child Maintenance Service and Independent Case Examiner are rotten to their core. They work together to cover up things such as amending notes, even though Independent Case Examiner is meant to be ‘Independent’.

The Independent Case Examiner works and are funded by DWP.

This system is set to fail you at every level up to and including PHSO.
How they do it:
CMS, ICE, ICO, POLICE & PHSO all have a remit into what they can investigate. They use this remit to cover up tampering with evidence.

Cms always seem to favour the receiving parent and dont seem to listen to what the paying parent states overcharge people atrosious amounts customer service discusting

Absolute Criminals. ICE investigates but CMS mislead investigations towards their narrative and don’t share the full info the hold on the system.
But don’t worry it’s coming down!

I wouldn’t even put that star at all. The worst service and customer service ever, they take a lot of money and their calculations always wrong , they estimate your earning up to them and ending up late on rent payments living like never before in my life nearly eat the carpet, you are not in title for any claims but they are happy to
Tax you, take child maintenance and other charges whatever they call it then you the worker end up not even living or having something to even afford towards your own life that’s insane. Slavery and we just numbers in system. Look into to your system and stop abusing me
And am sure that’s happening with others too. Sick of this treatment. I haven’t even worked for few weeks for health issues but they took from my SSP which’s 408 they took 187 Ithat’s a joke and can’t even pay your phone bill
Not just rent etc. this is so sick and had enough.

My experience with the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) over the last 6 years has been absolutely awful. I’ve dealt with constant stress, poor communication, incorrect information being recorded, and what feels like endless harassment even while actively paying for my child.

There have been false accusations, incorrect amounts added, unnecessary collect-and-pay charges, and a complete lack of accountability when mistakes are made. Trying to get anything corrected takes forever, and every conversation leaves you feeling ignored and frustrated.

I fully support paying for your child — that should never be questioned but the way CMS handles cases can feel unfair, aggressive, and incredibly damaging mentally and financially. After years of dealing with this system, I genuinely feel exhausted and let down.

Inept, potentially corrupt, spiteful shambles & will it be abolished once it all comes out in the wash. Sadly nothing will happen to those that are in charge of this service but it should.

These fraudsters are collecting £36.40 from universal credit every months and also asking me to pay additional of £48 a month. This CMS must be ran by the politicians and I believe MPs must have a share too