Politics · United Kingdom · 4 hrs ago
Whistleblower says IT faults cause incorrect child maintenance demands
A Child Maintenance Service caseworker says IT faults cause payment errors at the UK agency, which works out how much a parent should pay an ex-partner after a separation.
The whistleblower estimates that up to one in five calculations are wrong, though the source gives no independent confirmation of that figure.
Problems can arise when the system automatically updates payments or conducts annual reviews, even though initial calculations are usually checked by staff.
In one example, the caseworker said the system recorded £600 in arrears when the parent owed £100.
The caseworker says staff are told to ask parents to keep paying even when a demand seems wrong, and the agency trains staff to handle callers who express suicidal thoughts.
The Department for Work and Pensions, which runs the service, said problems with IT upgrades raised in 2018 were fixed that year and did not affect calculations; that claim could not be verified because minutes were no longer recorded after 2018.
Incorrect demands can leave parents under financial strain, and the account adds to earlier concerns about the agency's computer system.
A Child Maintenance Service caseworker says IT faults are causing incorrect payment calculations and demands against parents.
The whistleblower estimates that up to one in five calculations are wrong and says staff are told to ask parents to keep paying even when a schedule is incorrect.
The Department for Work and Pensions says IT issues raised in 2018 were rectified that year and never affected calculations of amounts owed.
The whistleblower says system errors can generate incorrect arrears, letters and account updates.
The Daily Mail says it previously reported that at least two fathers died by suicide and that parents faced inflated demands.
- Who
- A Child Maintenance Service caseworker has raised concerns about IT faults. The Department for Work and Pensions runs the service.
- What
- The whistleblower says IT glitches lead to incorrect calculations and demands for child maintenance.
- When
- The article was published on 2026-10-16. The date of the alleged current IT faults is not stated.
- Where
- The United Kingdom; the service is run by the Department for Work and Pensions.
- Why
- The whistleblower attributes incorrect demands to computer problems, including automated calculations and IT upgrades.
Whistleblower
Department for Work and Pensions
Impact of IT problems
Whistleblower
The caseworker says faults cause incorrect calculations and payment demands.
Department for Work and Pensions
The department said issues raised in 2018 were rectified that year and never affected calculations of amounts owed.
Minutes of meetings of CMS directors raised concerns about Sprint IT upgrades.
The Department for Work and Pensions said the issues raised were rectified and never affected calculations of amounts owed.
The Daily Mail published an exposé reporting that at least two fathers had died by suicide and that parents faced inflated demands.
The Daily Mail published the whistleblower’s account of IT faults at the Child Maintenance Service.
- Estimated error rate
- Up to one in five calculations
- Example of arrears
- £600 generated when the parent had £100 to pay
- IT upgrade name
- Sprint
- Upgrade frequency
- Around every two months
- Caseworker experience
- More than a year at the Child Maintenance Service
What people are saying
We get quite a lot of complaints that calculations are incorrect and parents saying they have suicidal tendencies.
I have never seen such a poorly built system in my life,
When Sprint happens, the whole system goes crazy.