A Guide to Child Support

1. Applying for Child Support
A parent can apply for a child support assessment for a child if they are not living with
the other parent of the child as their partner.
Both parents are assessed in respect of the costs of the children, the roles of payer and
payee and the amount of child support payable will depend on the incomes of both
parents and the care they each provide for the children. If the income and/or care
percentage changes, the roles may reverse, and the child support assessment will
continue without the need for a new application for child support.
2. Percentage of Care
A parent or non-parent carer's percentage of care for a day in a child support period is the
percentage of care that the person is likely to have of the child during the care period.
Care will generally be worked out based on the number of nights that the child is likely to
be in the care of the person during the care period.
Where parents are separated but living in the same house, the Registrar will determine
each parent's percentage of care for a child based on the individual circumstances of the
case and evidence available. Generally, where the parents contribute in a similar manner
to the care of the child, they will be regarded as sharing equally in the care of the child. In
this case, the Registrar will determine that each parent has a care percentage of 50%.
Additionally, in limited circumstances, a person may have care of a child who is not living
with them for a period of time. For example, a person can provide care for a child who is
at boarding school, in hospital or in separate accommodation. However, a person who
simply supervises the child (for example, a baby sitter, a child minder such as a
grandparent or a schoolteacher) does not provide care.
Consideration is given to who has responsibility for making arrangements for, and
decisions about, the child's welfare, as well as who is meeting the child's costs, rather than
just the accommodation arrangements themselves. The Registrar will give weight to
statements from both parents and any non-parent carers.
A parent or non-parent carer's percentage of care for a child will be used to determine the
parent's or non-parent carer's cost percentage for the child.
Click here for the Child Support Care Estimator
Disclaimer: The content of this document is general information only and is not provided as a substitute for legal/professional advice. If you have a
legal/financial/ any other issue, you should contact a lawyer and/or professional before making a decision about your options or personal
situation.TheSeparationCollective.com.au cannot provide legal/professional advice.