Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph and to paragraph 5 (flat rate maintenance), the Secretary of State may deduct from any specified benefit awarded to a beneficiary, an amount equal to the amount of maintenance F2and any fee which is payable by the beneficiary and pay the amount deducted to or among the person or persons with care in discharge (in whole or in part) of the liability to pay maintenance F8, and retain any amount deducted in discharge of any liability to pay a fee.

A deduction F1for maintenance and fees may only be made from one specified benefit in respect of the same period.

No amount may be deducted under this Schedule from any employment and support allowance or any jobseeker's allowance awarded to the claimant if that would reduce the amount of the benefit payable to the claimant to less than 10 pence.

No amount may be deducted from any universal credit awarded to the claimant under this Schedule if that would reduce the amount payable to the claimant to less than one penny.

Except where universal credit is awarded to the beneficiary, the Secretary of State may deduct the sum of F3£1.20 per week from any employment and support allowance or jobseeker's allowance which the beneficiary has been awarded and, subject to sub-paragraph (2), pay the amount deducted to or among the person or persons with care in discharge (in whole or in part) of the beneficiary's liability to pay arrears of maintenance F5, and retain any amount deducted in discharge of any liability to pay a fee.

Deductions made under sub-paragraph (1) may be retained by the Secretary of State in the circumstances set out in regulation 8 of the Child Support (Arrears, Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 M4.

In sub-paragraph (1) “maintenance” means child support maintenance as defined by section 3(6) of the 1991 Act whether before or after the amendment of the definition of such maintenance by section 1(2)(a) of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000, and includes maintenance payable at a transitional rate in accordance with regulations made under section 29(3)(a) of that Act.

This paragraph applies where the beneficiary and that person's partner are each liable to pay maintenance at a flat rate in accordance with paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 1 to the 1991 Act and either of them has been awarded universal credit (whether as a single claimant or as joint claimants).

Where this paragraph applies, an amount not exceeding an amount equal to the flat rate of maintenance F4and any fee may be deducted from such an award in respect of the total liability of both partners to pay maintenance F6and any fee, in the proportions described in regulation 4(3) of the Child Support (Maintenance Calculations and Special Cases) Regulations 2001M6 or regulation 44(3) of the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012 M7 and must be paid in discharge (in whole or in part) of the respective liabilities to pay maintenance F10or retained in discharge of any liability to pay a fee.