The Child Support (Maintenance Assessments and Special Cases) Regulations 1992

Multiple applications relating to an absent parent

22.—(1) Where the circumstances of a case are that—

(a) two or more applications for a maintenance assessment have been made which relate to the same absent parent (or to a person who is treated as an absent parent by regulation 20(2)); and

(b) those applications relate to different children,

that case shall be treated as a special case for the purposes of the Act.

(2) For the purposes of assessing the amount of child support maintenance payable in respect of each application where paragraph (1) applies, for references to the assessable income of an absent parent in the Act and in these Regulations there shall be substituted references to the amount calculated by the formula—

where—

• A is the assessable income of the absent parent;

• B is the maintenance requirement calculated in respect of the application in question;

• D is the sum of the maintenance requirements as calculated for the purposes of each application relating to the absent parent in question.

(3) Where more than one maintenance assessment has been made with respect to the absent parent and payment by him of the aggregate of the amounts of those assessments would reduce his disposable income below his protected income level, the aggregate amount of those assessments shall be reduced (each being reduced by reference to the same proportion as those assessments bear to each other) by the minimum amount necessary to prevent his disposable income being reduced below his protected income level provided that the aggregate amount payable under those assessments shall not be reduced to less than the minimum amount prescribed in regulation 13(1).

(4) Where the aggregate of the child support maintenance payable by the absent parent is less than the minimum amount prescribed in regulation 13(1), the child support maintenance payable shall be that prescribed minimum amount apportioned between the two or more applications in the same ratio as the maintenance requirements in question bear to each other.

(5) Payment of each of the maintenance assessments calculated under this regulation shall satisfy the liability of the absent parent (or a person treated as such) to pay child support maintenance.