In most instances, it is not possible to apply to the court for child maintenance. Instead, child maintenance should be agreed through a private arrangement or through the Child Maintenance Service. However, if you are getting divorced and have reached an agreement regarding the amount of child maintenance you can record this in your Financial Consent Order. However, please be aware that the Court only has jurisdiction to enforce child maintenance for 12 months, after that date the CMS has jurisdiction and you will not be able to enforce the child maintenance through the Court. You will have to make an application to the CMS. You can apply to the court for a ‘top-up order’ if the paying parent is a high earner (over £156,000 gross per year) or if the child has additional needs due to a disability, among other things. This means you will receive additional payments on top of the payments calculated by the CMS. However, the CMS will need to have made an assessment first. A family lawyer can advise you on whether a court application is the best option for your family and can help you with the process of applying for one.