CMS overnight-stays calculator
Calculator
How the calculation works
This mirrors the CMS reduced/basic rate formula mechanics: gross weekly income (after pension contributions) minus a notional amount for each other child in your household, times the child-support multiplier for your child count, times (1 − shared-care reduction). The shared-care reduction comes purely from overnights:
| Nights/year | Typical pattern | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| 52–103 nights/year | 1–2 nights a week on average | 1/7th off |
| 104–155 nights/year | 2–3 nights a week on average | 2/7ths off |
| 156–174 nights/year | 3–4 nights a week on average | 3/7ths off |
| 175+ nights/year | equal shared care | 50% off plus £7 a week |
Source basis: the statutory framework behind GOV.UK child maintenance (Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012). Official rates change periodically — always confirm the current figures on GOV.UK before relying on a number.
Overnights are proven, not assumed
- The CMS counts actual nights, not court-ordered ones. A schedule you don't exercise earns nothing — a pattern you do exercise is worth real money per bracket. Full overnight-stays guide.
- Keep the contact log permanently — it is the evidence in any CMS dispute.
- Disagree with their figures? Mandatory reconsideration first, tribunal appeal second, log attached always.
Below ~£9 gross/week the liability is nominal ("nil rate"); benefit claimants use different rates; 50/50 care with both parents' children-count accounted can reach £0. This calculator models the standard paying-parent case — treat edge cases as GOV.UK territory.
Before your hearing
Turning scattered messages, notes and dates into evidence takes structure. keep the night-by-night log that proves your bracket — EvidenceCanvas is a guided toolkit that helps you draft a child-focused witness statement, answer a Scott Schedule point by point, and assemble a paginated court bundle. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.