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Closed Calculate child maintenance from net pay, not gross pay

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For child maintenance to be calculated from net pay not gross pay.

We want reform to the current method used to calculate child maintenance payments, which is based on a paying parent's gross income. While we fully support the fundamental principle that both parents should contribute to the upbringing and welfare of their children, we consider that the current system places an undue financial burden on the paying parent by not accounting for their actual take-home pay. This often results in a situation where child maintenance payments are calculated on an amount that the parent never actually receives.

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    This petition will stay open until 9 January 2026.