On making an application for child support maintenance a fee of £20 is payable to the Secretary of State by the person making the application, whether or not a maintenance calculation is made under the 1991 Act as a result of that application.

For the purposes of section 11(1) and (2) (maintenance calculations) of the 1991 Act M1, the Secretary of State is not obliged to determine an application for child support maintenance until the application fee has been paid or is waived under regulation 4 (waiver of the application fee).