Financial order v apprenticeship

Contacted CM Options and they basically agreed that, as a paid apprenticeship, the maintenance payments can stop.

Hi Biker Rob. I know this is an old post so not sure if I'll get an answer.
I am in exactly the same situation now that you were in. My daughter is just about to turn 17 and start an apprenticeship. The wording in my Consent Order is the same as yours and is just coming up to 12 months old.
May i ask what your outcome was and any advice yiu may give?
Many thanks in advance!

I don’t think the OP has been on the boards for a long time.
Check the wording of your order carefully, specifically the order of trigger events.
An application to CMS will end the court order if it is at least 12 months old but your daughter will need to fall within their criteria, ie be in full time non advanced education, at the time you apply.
If you miss the boat to apply then the court order will remain in place until the relevant trigger point.

Thanks for the reply! The wording on my consent order is as follows:
Payment shall start forthwith and shall cease upon X attaining the age of 18 years or ceasing full time secondary education, whichever shall be the later. The court may (prior to the expiry of the term or subsequently) order a longer period of payment.

This was all signed off over a year ago. My daughter turns 17 in September, but will be starting and apprentiship mid-late August.

I suppose my question is, do I have to keep paying my ex? And if not, can I just stop or do I have to contact the CMS first?

I plan to pay my daughter a portion of the maintenance directly until she turns 18, and may see if the spouse would agree to a family based arrangement and sign. Would this be enough to over-ride the consent order?

Many thanks

You need to end the court order by getting a CMS assessment instead.
You need to apply now.