What is Child Support in Australia? (Secure Your Child’s Future)

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What is Child Support? A Parent's Guide to Child Support in Australia

Going through a separation or divorce is often made more complicated when there are children involved. While couples may want to finalise financial and property settlement as quickly as possible post-separation, when it comes to custody of children and child support, it’s essential to consider what is best for the child in the long run.

In Australia, both parents are legally required to support their child under the Child Support Scheme, so regardless of where the child lives, each parent has a financial obligation to support the child until they turn 18.

This article will give you an overview of child support and how it may work in your family.

Key takeaways

  1. Child support is financial support paid by one parent to the other to help with the costs of raising a child after separation or divorce.
  2. Parents can either agree on child support payments privately or through a binding agreement, or have the Department of Human Services (DHS) assess and calculate the amount
  3. The amount of child support is based on factors like each parent’s income, the number of children, the children’s ages, and the time children spend with each parent.
  4. Child support covers expenses related to the child’s needs, including food, housing, medical care, education, and extracurricular activities.
  5. Parents who disagree with the DHS’s child support assessment can request a review or appeal the decision through legal channels.

Understanding Child Support in Australia

Under the Child Support Assessment Act, child support means ongoing financial support provided to a child after their parents have separated or divorced. It is designed to help cover the expenses of raising a child, such as food, clothing, medical costs, school fees, housing, and more.

Child support can be commonly paid from one parent to the other in regular payments, but it can also be paid as lump sum payments or by paying for specific costs, such as school fees.

In Australia, the Department of Human Services’ Child Support Agency governs most of Australia’s child support agreements, although child support can be handled in two ways. First, you and your ex-partner can privately agree to a binding child support agreement. You can also apply to the Department of Human Services (DHS), which makes an assessment and calculates the amount payable.

DHS

For many families, coming to an amicable agreement without involving the DHS is usually less stressful and can be handled between you and your ex-partner or with the help of a family lawyer. In some circumstances, however, this isn’t possible, and the DHS can decide how much is appropriate for whom to pay.

What does child support cover exactly?

There are no set rules under Australian law on what child support can and cannot be used for, aside from the rule that it must be used for the child’s benefit. Parents cannot use the money to pay for goods and services that benefit them.

It is designed to cover the fixed costs of raising a child that are regularly shared between parents, such as food, shelter, clothing, school fees, school uniforms, extra-curricular activities such as sports, and medical fees.

While child support is usually thought of as regular payments, it can be paid in several ways, such as covering the cost of school fees, school uniforms, medical expenses, or extra-curricular activities. It aims to support the child financially and give them a reasonable equal opportunity.

Can I apply for child support?

If you are a parent, caring for your child at least part of the time, and are not living with the child’s other parent, you can apply for child support.

applying for child support

In some instances, if you are caring for a child that is not your own, you can also apply for child support. Speak to our expert family lawyers for an obligation-free consultation on your situation and rights.

Can parents make their own arrangements for child support?

Yes, you and your ex-partner can make your own arrangements for financially supporting your children without applying for an assessment from the DHS. In fact, this is usually the preferred way of coming to an agreement that is suitable for all parties.

Even if you have an amicable relationship with your ex-partner, it is always advised to seek independent legal advice and put your child support agreement in writing. This ensures clarity on what is required of each person and avoids conflict if one person tries to back out of their part of the agreement.

You can also register your agreement with the DHS.

Need help with your child support obligations? We can provide personalised guidance and support to make the process easier.

Child Support Cost

How much does child support cost?

The child support amount of support payable varies from family to family and is dependent on a number of factors, including the income of each parent and the amount of time the child is in each parent’s care.

The child support cost assumes the obligation of each parent to support their child financially and is, in principle, based on the percentage of time each parent cares for the child.

Mother assisting her young daughter with homework

If, for example, you and your ex-partner share joint custody of your children 50/50, expenses are more likely to be equal to shared parental responsibility. If one of you only cares for the children on weekends, you may be required to pay more child support.

Other factors come into play, such as school fees, medical bills or other expenses, which can vary greatly between families. To estimate the specific amount, consider using a child support calculator to get a clearer idea of the financial responsibilities involved.

How is the cost of child support calculated?

When managed by the Department of Human Services, an administrative assessment of your situation is carried out to determine which parent should pay child support and how much. This child support assessment is done using a complicated formula that takes into account:

  • The income available to each parent minus the cost required to ‘self-support’
  • The number of dependent children a parent needs to support and how old they each are
  • The amount of time the child spends with each parent
  • The percentage of the child’s costs each parent covers
  • The average cost of raising a child in Australia
  • Costs specific to this child

This child support formula determines an amount suitable for each child, payable by one parent, usually to the other.

Basic-child-support-formula-Child-support-assessment-Services-Australia
Source: Services Australia – Basic Child Support Formula

How is child support paid?

Usually, parents make their own arrangements for how and when child support payments are made. If this is the case, keeping a record of payments for future reference is important.

If you and your ex-partner cannot reach an agreement, or if the parent responsible for paying support refuses, the DHS can collect payment and redistribute it to the other parent.

The DHS can also mandate that their employer deducts the amount from their wages to make the payment.

If you are entitled to be paid child support from your ex-partner but are refusing, our experienced family lawyers can assist you in taking action to obtain payment.

To estimate the percentage of care used to calculate child support payments, kindly check this care estimator.

What is the maximum child support payable in Australia?

There is a cap on the maximum child support payable when the application is made through the DHS.

This is calculated using the combined income of each parent, up to 2.5 times the annual equivalent of the Male Average Total Weekly Earnings, and the cost of children table, both of which can be found on the DHS Child Support Guide website. If you and your ex-partner choose to make an agreement privately, this amount may change.

If you are unsure of the amount you or your ex-partner has suggested, our experienced child support lawyers can talk you through the costs of raising your child, your rights and obligations, and negotiate an amount suitable for your situation.

Other Common Questions About Child Support

What if I am unhappy with the outcome of the administrative assessment?

In some cases, you may feel the child support assessments made by the Department of Human Services are unfair to one parent. You may feel you are being asked to pay too much, or the payments your ex-partner is asked to provide are too little and you won’t be able to support your child financially.

In some cases, the assessment may become unfair if one of you loses your job, one of you has greatly minimised your taxable income for the purpose of the assessment, or if there are significant costs such as private school fees or medical fees for an unwell child.

If this happens, you can apply for your assessment to be reevaluated by the DHS via an internal review process or apply to the Social Security Appeal Tribunal for a review. In some circumstances, you may be able to apply to court.

Suppose you and your ex-partner made a private child support agreement. In that case, our experienced family lawyers can also renegotiate to come to a new arrangement that better suits you and your ex-partner.

Woman upset over disappointing results from administrative assessment

At what age does child support stop?

Child Support typically ends when the child turns 18. If the child is in their final year of high school when they turn 18, child support payments must continue until the end of that school year.

There are some cases in which child support payments continue after the child turns 18, which is called Child Maintenance. Child maintenance is payable if the child is studying secondary or tertiary education, which includes a university degree or an apprenticeship, if the child has a physical or mental disability, or if the child is seriously ill.

Child support payments don’t usually roll over into maintenance; an application must be made before the child turns 18 and can be made by either the parent or the child themselves. The amount of child maintenance payable depends on several factors, including:

  1. The necessary expenses of the child.
  2. The capacity the parent has to pay for these expenses.
  3. The amount the parent requires to support themselves and any other dependents they have.

If a child under 18 gets married or enters into a de facto relationship, they are also no longer eligible for child support.

Which children are eligible for child support?

Child support is available to all children living in Australia whose parents are not together.

In order to be eligible for child support, a child must:

  1. Be under 18 years of age, or 18 and in their final year of high school.
  2. Not be married or in a de facto relationship.
  3. Reside in Australia or a foreign jurisdiction with which Australia has a child support agreement.

If a child moves abroad from Australia or is no longer an Australian citizen and there is no international maintenance agreement applicable, child support payments cease to be paid under Australian law.

happy mother with her daughter

Does a new partner affect child support?

The only people responsible for financially supporting a child are the child’s parents, and the amount of child support payable is calculated on the income of the child’s parents only. If one parent enters a new relationship or gets remarried, the amount they are required to pay does not change, unless the amount of time they care for the child changes.

If you or your ex-partner have a child with a new partner, you also need to alert the DHS, as this may impact the amount of child support payable.

Looking for help with your child support obligations? Andrews Family Lawyers can provide personalised guidance and support to make the process easier for you.

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Peter Andrews - Andrews Family Lawyers 4
Principal Solicitor

Peter Andrews

Peter is a qualified legal practitioner with more than twenty years experience, predominantly in family law. Peter began his career with Clayton Utz, before moving into suburban practice in 2007 with a focus on family law settlements.

Peter began his own practice, Peter Andrews Lawyer Pty Ltd, in 2013. After many years of success, the business was rebranded Andrews Family Lawyers in 2022.​

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Principal Solicitor
Peter Andrews - Andrews Family Lawyers 4
Peter Andrews

Peter is a qualified legal practitioner with more than twenty years experience, predominantly in family law. Peter began his career with Clayton Utz, before moving into suburban practice in 2007 with a focus on family law settlements.

Peter began his own practice, Peter Andrews Lawyer Pty Ltd, in 2013. After many years of success, the business was rebranded Andrews Family Lawyers in 2022. ​

Peter is a married father of three young, precocious and often annoying children who are still just lovely.