What the amount depends on
The needs of the child and the means of the person who owes it. Both are proved, not asserted.
What is looked at is the child’s age, ordinary expenses, health and any particular needs, the parent’s income and assets, and whether they support other dependants.
There is also a floor below which it does not go. It is tied to a general figure that changes, so I will not give you a number here that will go out of date.
If the parent hides income
That is common and it is not a dead end. Employed on paper at the minimum wage, while living a life that obviously costs more.
Beyond declared income, assets are looked at as well. A standard of living is itself a circumstance that can be evidenced.
Changing the amount
What was set once is not set forever. Where the child’s needs or the parent’s means change substantially, maintenance is varied, up or down.
A child starting school, sport or treatment has different costs from a three-year-old. That is a ground, not a request.
On non-payment
There are routes to enforced collection, including against wages and accounts. There are also consequences beyond the civil ones.
Important in both directions: do not stop seeing the child because maintenance is unpaid, and do not stop paying because contact has been blocked. The two obligations are separate, and mixing them harms whoever does it.
If the parent is abroad
Not an obstacle. There is a procedure for cross-border maintenance, and within the European Union it is well established.
It takes longer and needs accurate details about the debtor: where they live and where they work. The more you know, the faster it moves.
What I will need
The birth certificate. Any judgment or agreement. Evidence of the child’s expenses. Whatever you know about the other parent’s income, including indirectly. And a record of what has been paid so far.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.