New child maintenance guidelines don't add up

Reform of the child maintenance system is welcome, but the new formula ignores education, childcare, medical and disability related costs and may disadvantage the poorest

Child maintenance affects all parents, regardless of relationship status or income.

On Monday, January 19, one of the most significant reforms in family law in decades was quietly published after 5pm by the Department of Justice. The Child Maintenance Guidelines, launched by justice minister Jim O’Callaghan earlier that day, introduce sweeping changes to how child maintenance will be calculated in Ireland. 

The 51-page document sets out a new framework for determining maintenance obligations, and an online child maintenance calculator is expected to follow, allowing parents to estimate likely payments without going to court.