Regulation 50
When care may be genuinely equal day to day, the question is wider than simply counting overnight stays.
Independent UK community & tools
Understand your CMS case. Learn from others.
Ask questions anonymously, compare real case outcomes, understand the rules and use practical tools before challenging a Child Maintenance Service decision.
Community experiences and generated drafts are not legal advice. Check important decisions against official guidance or professional advice.
Your case workspace
Keep your CMS case organised
My CMS gives you one private place to keep track of what is happening and what to do next.
My CMS
Start organising your case straight away. Create a free account when you save your workspace so your personal case tools stay linked to you.
Community
Find people dealing with the same CMS problem
Loading discussions…
Case outcome database
Search real, anonymised CMS outcomes
Resolved threads record the issue, stage, evidence used and final outcome. Community outcomes are self-reported and are not presented as representative success rates.
Loading case outcomes…
Upper Tribunal case library
Important CMS decisions in plain English
Search authoritative Upper Tribunal decisions by issue, case reference or legal principle. Each summary links to the official decision.
Why these cases matter
Upper Tribunal decisions can provide authoritative guidance on how legislation should be interpreted. They are different from community case outcomes and do not guarantee the same result in another case.
Upper Tribunal decisions can provide authoritative guidance on how legislation should be interpreted. They are different from community case outcomes and do not guarantee the same result in another case.
Case finder
Find tribunal cases relevant to me
Answer a few questions and we will rank potentially relevant authorities from the library.
Rules and case law in plain English
Proving day-to-day care
What records may help show the practical pattern of care when CMS disputes who provides it.
Shared-care nights
How overnight bands can affect a calculation and why that is separate from the equal-care question.
Mandatory reconsideration
How to identify the exact decision you challenge, organise evidence and protect the appeal route.
Appealing after MR
What happens when a dispute moves from CMS to the independent Social Security and Child Support Tribunal.
Main-carer disputes
Why child benefit, addresses and labels can be relevant but may not answer the practical care question by themselves.
See the route before you take the next step
CMS decision
Read the decision letter and identify exactly what you disagree with.
Mandatory reconsideration
Ask CMS to look at the decision again and provide relevant evidence.
Tribunal
If you still disagree after MR, you may be able to appeal to an independent tribunal.
Upper Tribunal
Potentially relevant where there is an error of law, subject to the appeal rules.
Build a Mandatory Reconsideration request
Answer the questions without signing up. When your personalised letter is ready to generate, create a free account to continue.
Your draft
Who can help?
CMS / DWP
Decision handling, mandatory reconsideration and service complaints.
Your MP
Can pursue administrative problems and delays.
Citizens Advice
Independent guidance and help understanding options.
Independent Case Examiner
Handles certain unresolved DWP/CMS service complaints.
HMCTS / Tribunal
Independent appeal route where applicable.
Professional advice
Specialist advice tailored to an individual case.
Shared-care overnight calculator
Use the basic calculator without an account. Personalised case work, saved workspaces and generated challenge documents require a free account.
Published shared-care bands
52–1031/7 reduction
104–1552/7 reduction
156–1743/7 reduction
175+50% reduction plus £7/week, subject to the published rules