maintenance?

miami2007

hi,

im not sure am i posting in the right place, am now 4 days overdue so have SERIOUS baby brain!!

i was wondering what the average amount of maintenance per week that single mothers get from the dad?

i feel myself around the 100 mark is about right, considering medical fees etc etc. maybe you wouldnt need the 100 every week but you need to put some aside for large expenses like childcare, health insurance etc.

just wondered what people get?

changes

It would depend on your circumstances and the fathers circumstances and income. €100 is at the upper end of the scale from my experience.

wolfpawnat

Maximum without going to the higher courts is €150 a week per child. That sait unless he is on €100,000 a year, can't see why you would want more than that!

You have to be realistic, if you go the now legal route I would suggest a mediator so you can both bring ALL your incoming and outgoing finances and agree on a sum that is doable for the dad, but not leaving the mother under financial pressure!

miami2007

all very helpful, thanks, but wondering what people get in the real world - i dont want to go down the court route so trying to find out the average payment people actually get.

i dont know any people in the same position and i think experience rather than using a calculator is a good way to work out what i will need

The Corinthian

The District Court, the lowest one which does not require that you bring a solicitor, can presently award up to €150 p.w. Maintenance may also be sought at higher levels at the circuit and high court, but legal representation is required for this.

How the figure is calculated is based upon the total expenditure of the child against the ability of each parent to pay towards it, this means in a perfect World, both parents should contribute equally towards these costs, but low incomes and high overheads can affect the amount.

There are two other important points to make twoards the costs of a child. The first is that they are for the child, not the mother, who is expected to pay for herself - as such if a mother rents a two bedroom apartment (@€;1,100 p.m.) because she has a child rather than a single bedroom apartment (@€;900 p.m.), then the cost of the child is only the difference between them (i.e. €200 p.m.). Judges don't like it when they get a sense that single parents treat child maintenance as some form of alimony lite.

Secondly there is the nebulous area of "adequate care". I say nebulous because there appear to be few rules or even guidelines around this, and it's application is inconsistent. One woman may be told that extracurricular activities for the child are beyond what should be paid towards by the father. On the other hand, a wealthy father may be directed to pay far more than is required on the basis that the child should benefit - then there is no obligation for the mother to actually spend the extra income on the child.

Overall, it's a nebulous area as it depends far too much on the judge on the day and whether they like you or not. Unlike many other countries there's no clear schedule of maintenance payments in Ireland and you can have two judgments made, with two sets of parents in exactly the same circumstances that can differ by as much as 200% at the lower scale.

As far as guidelines for what to expect, if the non-custodial parent is unemployed, you probably would want to expect under €30 p.w. If employed and on, say €35k p.a. you would likely be looking at between €30 - €80 p.w. Someone on €80k p.a. would be directed to pay, say, €120 p.w. However, then you'd need to take into account their overheads - even at €80k p.a., payments a 100% mortgage could bring the figure down considerably.

Finally, the non-custodial parent, is also entitled to have their own life and to save money, so you will never get a situation whereby any spare cash he has left at the end of the month will go in maintenance. If he goes on holiday, that's his business - however if he can afford to go on holiday five times a year, a judge will penalize him.

So, unless you can post your circumstances and his, he could be told to pay anything between €5 and €150 p.w. I would also add that if you can agree this with him without the courts, it will stand you in good stead for the future.

Klingon Hamlet

Also AFAIK non-court-ordered maintenance is not means-tested by social welfare.

Kimono-Girl

miami2007 wrote: »

all very helpful, thanks, but wondering what people get in the real world - i dont want to go down the court route so trying to find out the average payment people actually get.

i dont know any people in the same position and i think experience rather than using a calculator is a good way to work out what i will need

If he's willing to pay you are lucky and you should be able to agree a fair amount,
my mum got €5 a week off my dad, and most weeks got nothing,but if i were you i would have my own back up plan and not be expecting the money just treat it as a bonus if you get it.

mymo

Klingon Hamlet wrote: »

Also AFAIK non-court-ordered maintenance is not means-tested by social welfare.

Well mine is(or was), but I was honest and put down the amount I got.
Have since heard of people putting a tenner when they get €50 to avoid the means test.
Personally I would rather be honest about it, not worth the risk.
Since he dropped it down below €50 it doesn't get counted, so not sure what threshold is.

We sorted everything (access, etc too) through a mediator and it was great, so much easier and I don't think he realized just how much my bills were until then. Highly recommend mediation, but be aware we waited 10months for appointment, so try and work out a sum between you in the mean time if possible.