I’m don’t how to ask my ex-husband to pay for more child maintenance

DEAR DEIDRE: MY ex-husband doesn’t pay me enough in child maintenance for our son and daughter but I’m scared to ask him for an increase.

The children are growing so fast. I need new school uniform almost every term and my electricity bill is sky high.

My ex-husband is 45, a self-employed plumber, and seems to be doing OK. He’s getting a mortgage for a new house.

I’m 42 and although I work, my credit card bill is creeping up.

I’m worried though because he started trading a couple of years before lockdown and the pandemic will have affected his business.

If he makes out he didn’t earn so much for tax reasons, I may end up being worse off.

DEIDRE SAYS: If he’s negotiating a mortgage, he’ll have to prove what his income is with copies of accounts from the past few years.

Although the cost of living is up for everyone, you shouldn’t have to suffer this extra financial burden of raising your family alone.

You can find a calculator of what he should be paying at gov.uk/calculate-child-maintenance.

Explain your situation to him and ask if he’ll help you. If he refuses, call Child Maintenance Service on 0800 171 2345 to ask for advice.