Child maintenance and income needs are often some of the most important financial considerations during divorce. Understanding who pays what, how much is appropriate, and what you can realistically afford helps create stability for both you and your children. At Every Step Financial Solutions, we provide clear, practical, and independent advice to help you assess income, expenses, and long-term financial needs so you can make confident decisions that support your family’s wellbeing. For an overview of all financial considerations during divorce, visit our Divorce Financial Advice pillar page.
Preparing For Your Future
Why Child Maintenance & Income Planning Matters
Divorce affects your financial situation in many ways, and changes in household structure can significantly impact both income and expenses. Whether you will be paying maintenance or receiving it, understanding how the numbers work is essential for building long-term financial stability.
We help you consider:
Changes to household income
Child-related expenses
Housing and living costs
Future needs as children grow
Maintenance affordability and sustainability
Long-term budgeting and financial planning
Our advice helps you make informed choices that support both your short-term needs and long-term financial well-being. For deeper guidance on understanding your new financial position, see our Budgeting & Cashflow Planning page.
Common Mistakes People Make During Divorce
Our advice helps you avoid costly errors and make decisions based on clarity, not uncertainty. Common mistakes include:
Many of these challenges come from not fully understanding assets or affordability. You can learn more on our Property, Assets & Savings page.
Key Financial Considerations for Child Maintenance & Income Needs
Here are the six main areas we review to help you understand your financial position clearly:
Income & Earning Capacity
We assess salaries, employment, self-employment income, benefits, and realistic future earnings to help build an accurate financial picture. You can find further details on long-term income planning in our Budgeting & Cashflow Planning guide.
Maintenance Calculations & Requirements
Family home, investment properties, mortgages, equity, affordability.
Child-Related Living Costs
We review essential expenses such as childcare, school fees, uniforms, food, transport, hobbies and other day-to-day costs.
Future Needs & Lifestyle Planning
We assess how your financial needs may evolve as children grow and circumstances change, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Housing & Household Expenses
We help you understand how mortgage/rent, bills, and household costs will change in a single-income or shared-care arrangement. For help assessing whether staying in the home is affordable, visit our Property, Assets & Savings page.
Budgeting & Cashflow Impact
We create clear cashflow projections to show how maintenance, income changes, and living costs affect your financial position over time.
Child Maintenance & Divorce Financial Services
Child Maintenance & Divorce Financial Services
Understanding Child Maintenance Amounts
Maintenance payments differ depending on income, shared care arrangements, and agreement types. We help you:
Understand CMS (Child Maintenance Service) calculations
Explore private agreements vs. formal arrangements
Assess affordability for both parents
Model different maintenance scenarios
Plan your budget around maintenance income or payments.
If pensions are part of your financial settlement, our Pensions & Divorce page explains how they influence long-term income.
Income Needs & Affordability Planning
We help you assess your realistic financial needs, including:
Updated living costs
Childcare and school costs
Housing affordability
Transport and lifestyle needs
Future changes to income
Our goal is to help you feel confident and financially secure.
Child Maintenance & Divorce Financial Services
Cashflow Projections for Familiesg
Seeing your long-term financial picture helps reduce stress and uncertainty. We provide:
Short-term and long-term budget forecasts
Cashflow modelling for different settlement scenarios
Clear explanations of affordability
Planning for future lifestyle needs
This gives you a clear roadmap for the future. To explore cashflow planning in more depth, visit our Budgeting & Cashflow page.
How We Support Your Solicitor
Your solicitor handles the legal framework — we provide the financial clarity behind it.
We support legal discussions by:
Reviewing income and expenses
Creating clear affordability reports
Modelling settlement and maintenance options
Providing financial summaries for mediation
Ensuring you understand each financial option
Together, this creates a stronger, more informed approach to negotiations. You can learn more about how we work with solicitors on our Working With Your Solicitor page.
Our Process
Our Six-Step Child Maintenance & Income Planning Process
01
Initial Discovery Consultation
Understanding your situation, financial responsibilities, and family needs.
02
Income & Expense Information Collection
Gathering income details, bills, childcare costs, and essential documents.
03
Full Financial Review & In-Depth Analysis
Assessing your financial position, maintenance needs, and household affordability.
04
Scenario Modelling & Future Planning
Showing how different maintenance levels and income changes affect your long-term outlook.
05
Personalised Advice & Action Plan
Providing clear, practical recommendations tailored to your financial situation.
06
Ongoing Guidance & Family Support
Helping you review and adjust your plan as circumstances change over time.
Who This Service Is For
Our divorce financial advice is suitable for:
Individuals going through divorce or separation
Those unsure how to divide pensions or assets
Anyone worried about future affordability or retirement
People considering buying or selling their home after a divorce
Individuals seeking independent advice separate from their solicitor
Whether your finances are simple or complex, we can help you understand your position clearly. For a full overview of all financial advice available during divorce, visit our Divorce Financial Advice pillar page.
Customer Testiomonials
Joanne is very thorough and efficient and takes the time to explain all the details of the work she undertakes. I won't be going anywhere else for my financial advice
Spoke with Jo for ten mins, and was told more about withdrawing my pension pot in them minutes than the Provider has told me in the last 7 weeks. Very professional and very helpful, would certainly recommend
Jo was so helpful. After having concerns on some financial queries, Jo was very knowledgeable and reassuring. She helped put my mind at ease and has given me confidence in moving forward.
First time using Every Step Financial Services and they have been brilliant, professional while making you feel comfortable as sometimes talking about things what they deal with are confusing and sometimes hard to understand for me anyway , this company can walk the walk as well as talk the talk thank God!!
Joanne was brilliant. listened to what I needed and then went through my pensions and explained what was going on with them. Would seriously recommend Joanne to all my friends & colleagues.
I am delighted to speak on behalf of JOANNE FLANAGAN of Every Step Financial Services. Joanne has provided financial advice to my wife and I for some time now and she has always offered this advice in a most professional manner. She listens carefully to our views and reflects them in her judgements. For many years Joanne ably monitored our investments and offered us advice on the way forward. Recently however Joanne has gone beyond what we could have expected as she has supported us with help, compassion, and understanding during our daughter's difficult divorce. We have had to loan our daughter much of our savings to fund her legal bills which have come in at irregular and sometimes unexpected moments. Joanne has always been there to with advice and help organising the arrangements and managing our withdrawls. She has proved herself a true friend as well as a financial adviser. When the divorce is settled and the loan repaid I look forward to reinvesting our savings with Joanne and Every Step. Thank you Joanne Frank Jeffs 14/12/24
First class service, with Joanne going above and beyond the call of duty. She is always available for a chat about plans, keeps me informed and quickly actions changes when needed. Can not recommend highly enough
Jo is a an actual lifesaver. I was on the hook for a >£100k inheritance tax bill after an 18 month probate process. My lawyer had tried everything, and we were in dire straits - the bill exceeded what was available in cash to pay it. I got second and third opinions from lawyer friends… No one had any better news for us. In desperation I turned to Jo who immediately spotted that I was entitled to transfer some of my deceased father’s allowance since my parents never divorced. SOMETHING MY LAWYER COMPLETELY MISSED! Unlike Jo, he’d just assumed that because they weren’t together, they were divorced. Jo takes the time to know her customers, assumes nothing, listens to EVERYTHING and that, along with her razor sharp mind and fairly recent training means she is on top of all the most recent legislation and can get the very best outcomes for her clients. My bill dropped to £8.5k thanks to Jo’s knowledge and intelligence and I am forever in her debt. Thank you, Jo. I cannot sing your praises highly enough, and my mum would be so, so grateful to you 🙏🏼
I've worked with Jo for a few years now & she is extremely approachable & friendly. Her advice has helped so much in understanding about my future finances. She actually talks in a language that I understand & makes it easy to get to grasps with financial stuff which is not my forte. I have recommended Jo to friends & family & they have benefitted from her advice too.
Absolutely incredible service! Joanne took the time to sit with us, talk to us (not at us!) and understand our very complex, individual circumstances. Her advice was unbiased, considered and perfectly suited to our needs. Highly recommend!!
Jo has helped my wife and me with our pension planning and given us general financial advice. She is extremely knowledgable and helpful and we can highly recommend her services.
contact us
Plan Your Financial Future With Confidence
Child maintenance and income planning are essential for creating stability after divorce. We help you understand your financial position clearly and build a secure, sustainable plan for your family.
Call us at 01422 652300 or fill out our form, and we’ll contact you within one business day.