Child Maintenance Calculator for 2 Children

Under Regulation 42 of the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012, supporting two qualifying children requires a statutory rate of 16% of gross weekly income on earnings between £200 and £800 per week. Where gross weekly earnings exceed £800, the marginal rate decreases to 12% (Basic Plus rate) on the excess portion up to the statutory cap of £3,000 per week (£156,000 per year).

This statutory rate structure embodies economies of scale: while supporting one child requires 12%, supporting two children does not double to 24%, but rises to 16%, acknowledging shared household and nursery overheads.

When both children stay overnight with the paying parent, Regulation 46 shared care deductions apply directly to the total 16% assessment. For 52 to 103 nights per year (alternate weekends), the paying parent receives a 1/7th discount on the total liability. For 104 to 155 nights, the discount increases to 2/7ths; for 156 to 174 nights, it reaches 3/7ths.

If the children stay overnight for 175 or more nights per year (equal shared care), the paying parent receives a 50% reduction plus an additional £14 per week deduction (£7 per child) under Regulation 46(3).

In cases where two qualifying children live in separate households with different receiving parents (for example, one child with Mother A and one child with Mother B), the CMS calculates the global assessment using the 16% dual-child rate, and then apportions the payment equally (50% each) under Regulation 49.

Where one child stays overnight more frequently than the sibling, the CMS calculates individual shared care deductions separately for each child before issuing the respective payment schedules.