Payments out

Payments out before the child reaches 18

It is for the court to decide what will happen to the money when the child (beneficiary) reaches 18.

The court may decide that:

• The beneficiary may apply directly to the Court Funds Office for the money after they reach 18, or
• The beneficiary must apply to the court for a further direction for payment out on reaching 18.

Between 6 to 8 weeks prior to the child's 18th birthday, we will write to them explaining how they can obtain their money once they turn 18. There are two ways in which money can be paid out.

If the court decided that the beneficiary may apply directly to the Court Funds Office, we will send the child a Form 203 for them to complete. For the form to be valid it must be signed on or after the Child's 18th birthday. A witness (who should not be a relative but may be someone such as a teacher or doctor who knows the beneficiary) must also sign it on the same date. The form gives full instructions on how to complete it and the accompanying letter also provides guidance.
If the court decided that the beneficiary should apply to the court for a further direction for payment out on reaching their 18th birthday, we will send the child a letter to explain this. We will pay the money out once we receive instruction from the court to make the payment.

When the child sends us the completed Form 203, we also need to see a copy of their birth certificate. This copy must state 'I believe this to be a true copy of the original' and be signed and dated by the witness. All documents must be witnessed and signed on the same day and the child and witness must be present during the signing and verification. Please do not send the original copy of the birth certificate. The Court Funds Office cannot accept responsibility for any documents lost in the post.

If the child wants us to pay their money to anyone else, they must apply to the court and ask them to instruct us to pay the money to the other person. The child cannot request this on the Form 203 and we can only make this type of payment once we receive instructions from the court.

Once we receive a correctly completed Form 203 or payment instructions from the court, we aim to process the payment within 5 working days. A cheque will then be sent to the bank or building society specified on the Form 203. Please contact the relevant bank or building society for information on their cheque clearing times.

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Payments before a child reaches 18

If a child would like to receive money before he or she is 18, the Litigation Friend may apply on behalf of the child for a part payment of funds. This application must be made to the court. The Court Funds Office is unable to make payments to a child without prior court approval.

In most cases, the Litigation Friend will be asked to explain to the court what the money is for and why the child will benefit. For example, if it is for a computer, they will also be asked to provide evidence of cost e.g. clippings from a magazine/website (or various) with a picture and price of the computer. They are also advised to send any supporting documentation that will assist their claim, e.g. a letter from the child's school. Bank details will also be required at this point so that if the claim is successful, payment can be made without further delay.

The application is considered by a Judge who will decide whether or not the request for money should be granted. They may also wish to have a hearing with the Litigation Friend and/ or child before making their decision. There may be a fee for making the application.

The procedure given above is only an example and differs from court to court, so it is important that you contact your individual court for instruction prior to making a request.

If the application is successful, the court will send us instructions to pay the money out. We aim to process all payments within 5 days of receipt.