My ex-partner is not paying maintenance: what can I do?
What would you like help with?
Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Compare the amount due and received for each month. With a court maintenance order, the Dutch LBIO may help collect unpaid child or partner maintenance. Do not delay unnecessarily: the ordinary domestic route looks back from your application. A calculation or private agreement is not automatically an enforceable court order.
On this page
1. Check entitlement and the order
This concerns unpaid child or partner maintenance, not recalculating the amount. Find the court order and later decisions. A court establishes entitlement and the amount but does not arrange payment automatically. If you only have a private agreement or calculation, obtain advice on an enforceable title; a court maintenance application requires a lawyer. A change in income does not automatically change the existing order.
2. Create a payment log
For each month, record the amount due under the order, applicable indexation, payment received, payment date and shortfall. Keep bank statements and check disputed deductions or later agreements. Do not count payments twice; separate child and partner maintenance. If you are aged eighteen to twenty and your parent is not paying, you can apply to the LBIO yourself. Check who is entitled to receive payment; an arrangement using a children's account needs a different route.
3. Request payment where safe and useful
If direct contact is safe, consider sending a short payment request with your log, account number and a reasonable response date you choose. Our draft can help; such a letter is not a universal prerequisite for LBIO assistance. If there are threats, seek professional help instead. Do not let recent arrears become too old while waiting unnecessarily. This draft does not guarantee interruption of a limitation period or automatically add collection charges.
4. Check domestic LBIO conditions
Where both you and the payer live in the Netherlands, LBIO requires court-ordered maintenance, an account number known to the payer and at least €10 in arrears. Payment must have been missed or incomplete within the six months before you send the application. LBIO generally cannot collect earlier arrears unless the court decided otherwise; have a recent retrospective order checked. This six-month rule is not a general limitation period. Cross-border cases have different conditions; LBIO's application page excludes payments into a children's account.
5. Apply officially with the right documents
Use the official LBIO application form and keep the confirmation. Since 1 January 2026 a copy of the maintenance order is sufficient at the initial application stage. For enforcement, LBIO requests the complete original enforceable court copy, the grosse; locate it or ask your lawyer. Follow the specific document request and use the designated secure channel. Our checklist and letter do not constitute or submit an LBIO application.
6. Monitor collection and consider other routes
LBIO's service is free for the recipient; the payer owes surcharges if collection proceeds. Report direct payments and new arrangements promptly to prevent duplicate collection. LBIO first tries to restart payment; further action requires investigation and can take time or recover nothing. For older debts, no enforceable title, a children's account or an overseas case, ask about the appropriate route and any bailiff costs. Have limitation and protective action assessed separately. Our own help request offers follow-up assistance, not guaranteed recovery or an advance.
Draft request for unpaid maintenance
Use only if contact is safe. Check amounts and choose a reasonable response date. This is not an LBIO application, a mandatory fourteen-day notice or guaranteed interruption of limitation. Send it yourself and keep evidence.
Edit your draftWord
Your edits stay on this page and are not automatically saved or sent. Complete every placeholder.
Are arrears older than six months lost?
Not automatically. LBIO's ordinary age limit is different from legal limitation. A recent retrospective court order may also matter. Get prompt advice about recoverable instalments, your enforceable title and whether a bailiff or another legal step is needed.
Documents to prepare
Prepare your next stepFill in and save · Word
Tick what you have checked or collected. Note what is missing and take your overview to a meeting.
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Item 1 / 6 · Where do you stand with this item?
Court order, later decisions and entitled recipient
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Your timeline and evidence
List events and contacts. Note where you keep the evidence; no upload is needed.
What goes in my timeline?
Record what happened, when, the response and where to find the letter, message or photo. Mark uncertain dates.
Is my evidence sent?
No. You only note where it is kept. No files are uploaded or sent automatically.
How do I save my timeline?
Your entries are not saved automatically. Choose Save and continue later to store this preparation, including your timeline, in My overview. Wait for confirmation and save new changes again. You can also download a Word file without an account.
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0 / 6 · Checked or collected
For each event, note the date, what happened and where the evidence is kept. Example: 3 October — letter received — correspondence folder.
Describe the solution you would like, such as an explanation of a deduction and repayment of the outstanding amount.
For example: which document is missing, who can provide it and what should I do first?
Record the date and its source. If unknown, note this and check promptly. This tool does not calculate or monitor deadlines.
After your conversation
These are your own notes. Confirm agreements with the other person; these notes do not prove their agreement.
This is your preparation, not a submitted request, objection or legally reviewed document. A tick records only your own progress. Check the procedure and deadline in the original letter.
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Clear entries
Download anything you want to keep first. Clearing cannot be undone.
- Court order, later decisions and entitled recipient
- Monthly log: due, indexation, received and shortfall
- Bank evidence, known account number and correspondence
- Domestic/overseas case, age of arrears and children's account
- Order copy, preparation of the grosse and application receipt
- Report new payments; assess limitation and other routes separately
Contact with a lawyer
You can use the chat and information without a phone number. A contact request requires a phone number, a verified email address and your wish for telephone contact. Our team assesses which partner fits your question. Data is shared only under the stated consent procedure. A partner or engagement is not guaranteed.
View the current application processSources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
LBIO · Voorwaarden voor inning binnen Nederland ↗LBIO · Inning aanvragen ↗LBIO · Aanpak na uw aanvraag ↗LBIO · Grenzen van inning ↗Rechtspraak · Vaststelling en betaling van alimentatie ↗LBIO · Zelf de betalingsplichtige aanschrijven ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.