The Child Maintenance Service does not automatically take all income into account. There is an appeal process through which you can establish whether they have overlooked anything, for example, dividend income from a business. There are several stages to questioning a maintenance assessment. If you are successful, this may resolve the issue. If your partner has a high income, it may result in the maintenance assessment being for the maximum amount. In this case, under Schedule 1, the court could also look at yours and your ex-partner’s income to see whether your maintenance should be 'topped up' further. If the review of your maintenance assessment does not improve the position, it would be a case of analysing whether any of the other claims under the Children Act might help alleviate your financial position.