Child Support

Separating parents have up to 13 weeks after separation to work out parenting arrangements and apply for child support. If you haven't made arrangements by this time you may find your Family Tax Benefit Part A reduced. Child support and family tax benefits are linked. The more child support you receive, the less Family Tax Benefit you are entitled to. This is because Family Tax Benefit is a payment to assist with raising children, and is linked to household income levels. To collect the full amountof Family Tax Benefit that you are entitled to, you must also collect your full child support from the other parent. This must be equivalent to whatever the Child Support Agency has assessed as your entitlement. If you have concerns about famiy violence or not being able to collect child support, contact the Child Support Agency to discuss your case.

If you don't receive more than the minimum Family Tax Benefit Part A, then you can work out your child support arrangements completely independently of the Child Support Agency. If you do elect to go down this path, you can still ask the Child Support Agency for assistance if you find things aren't working out.

Calculating How Much:

Working out how much child support is payable, by whom, can be difficult. The new formula is no longer a simple income percentage, but is calculated on the combined income of both households. The Child Support Agency has child support calculators which might be helpful.

Organising Support:

There are a number of ways you can organise child support:

• you can ask the Child Support Agency for an assessment, and then arrange between yourselves how this money will be paid
• you can have the Child Support Agency make an assessment and collect the money
• you can make a parenting agreement, which includes child support arrangements
• You can get a Court Order