Family & divorce
Child maintenance in the UK in 2026: how much you pay and how the CMS works it out
Child maintenance in the UK is worked out by the Child Maintenance Service using an open formula: 12% to 19% of the paying parent's gross weekly income. DWP figures published on 29 September 2026 show 820,000 arrangements covering 1.1 million children at the end of June 2026, with 23% of paying parents on Collect and Pay paying nothing that quarter.
Divorce in England: what it costs, how long it takes, and why 'marry an Englishman and take half' is a myth
A scheme discussed in immigrant chats: marry an Englishman, endure a year, divorce — and leave with half his house. Here is how English family law actually works: divorce has been 'no-fault' since 2022, but no application is accepted before a year of marriage, the process takes at least six months and costs £628, money is divided in separate proceedings with no automatic fifty-fifty, and a visa tied to the marriage dies with it.