Things like school uniforms, childcare and football boots are not maintenance costs, but rather expenses – and these are typically shared by parents, says Browne. “We would advise parents in the early days of separation to get it all mapped out,” says Kelly. Whatever way you go, family finances generally take a serious hit when a couple separates. A new maintenance calculator launched by the Department of Justice is aimed at reducing conflict and tension between parents by making the calculation of child maintenance more objective. By giving parents guidance in setting the levels of child maintenance, the hope is to reduce the number of child maintenance applications coming before the courts, the department says.

Source: The Irish Times April 08, 2026 16:01 UTC