Summer Holiday Financial arrangements

Hi all,

I am first time posting on this forum so excuse my lack of knowledge in writing. Hope this is going to be easy one….

My ex and I are separated just about over two years. We do have a daughter (soon will be six) and so far everything worked well in arrangements around her. My ex is the one with the main day-to-day care (in charge during working days) and I'm having our daughter every weekend (from Friday evening until Sunday evening or Monday morning - FANTASTIC!)

Also, I am paying Child Maintenance regularly.

I am trying to have our daughter with me most of the time during school breaks/holidays … either to go away or just to stay in town and spend some time together. Therefore I booked two weeks holiday for this summer.

and it all sounded well until my ex asked me yesterday to share the cost of the child care for the rest of her Summer break…

And I was wondering isn't that the responsibility of the other part, barring in mind that all child tax credits/benefits and other extras are going that way?

OR...

As I'm not running away from the responsibilities - if the summer break is six weeks and I'm taking her for two weeks - should I pay the child care just for the one week.


Many thanks in advance!

You're right CM tax credits etc are to cover everything.

BUT you seem to have a fantastic relationship with your ex. How much money are you talking about, is there a reason she is asking for help now?

Can you afford it and are you happy to pay it?

you need to clarify whether your ex is going to have to pay for 6 weeks worth of care, regardless of whether or not she actually uses it.

Every weekend and as much holiday as you can make? does mum not want some quality time with her child?

I can afford it, just, but it is the matter of principal. If we are equal in this why should one have all the extras provided by the society and do nothing and the other one to give everything?
When the main day-to-day care duties start/stop?

mumtoboys wrote:
you need to clarify whether your ex is going to have to pay for 6 weeks worth of care, regardless of whether or not she actually uses it.

Every weekend and as much holiday as you can make? does mum not want some quality time with her child?

as I said in my post, if the summer break is six weeks and I'm taking her for two weeks, that automatically takes the rest of the summer break to four weeks - should I pay the child care just for the one week?
That way the summer holiday will be divided into two equal parts

It is interesting that the both posts are referring to 'ex' as woman ))
and I did try not to go into the gender in my writing

I would choose your battles carefully. At the moment it isn't an equal situation because you have the children for all the quality time at weekends and half or more?? of the holidays whereas your ex has all the hard work of the nuts and bolt of parenting during the school week. If the boat is rocked it is unlikely a court would award every weekend to one parent. There is then a chance of you loosing every other weekend and either having the children less or having them during the week which may be impractical or involve delegating and paying for childcare.

When as mumtoboys said childcare has to paid for 6 weeks in order to keep a place open then I don't think it is unreasonable for each parent to pay for the weeks they are responsible for your daughter even if your daughter doesn't actually attend.