Child Maintenance

All parents - whether married or not, living together, separated, divorced and parents of adopted children - are required to support their children financially.

Known as the “duty to support”, all parents have the responsibility to ensure that their children have access to necessities such as accommodation, clothing, health care and schooling.

A parent’s obligation to maintain a child is calculated by determining the reasonable cost associated with the care of a child and then apportioning that amount between the two parents, pro rata according to their means. There is no fixed amount of maintenance that must be paid in respect of a child of a certain age and each matter is calculated by taking into account the individual facts relevant to that matter.

For assistance with the preparation and completion of the necessary documents to bring an application for a maintenance order, contact our Family Department on 041 363 6044 or info@kaplans.co.za.