Child Support
Expert legal advice on child support from Brisbane family lawyers
Key Points
- Parents are obliged to financially support their children.
- Child Support Agency Assessments can be changed/challenged.
- Private/binding agreements are recommended where children attend private schools or otherwise have higher than usual expenses.
- If your former spouse has stopped paying child support, it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
There are a number of ways that separated parents can arrange child support for their children, including:
- an informal agreement;
- an Administrative Assessment through the Department of Human Services (Child Support Agency); or
- a Child Support Agreement (there are 2 types, being a Limited Child Support Agreement and a Binding Child Support Agreement).
FAQs
When parents separate, they are both liable to financially support their children.
The level of financial obligation will depend on a number of factors including each parent’s income, the children’s age/s and the care arrangements for the children.
The Department of Human Services (Child Support Agency) provides an online child support estimator, which can be a helpful guide and/or starting point for parents: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/child-support
If an Administrative Assessment is made by the Department of Human Services (Child Support Agency), there are ways that a parent can seek to have the assessment reviewed and/or a different payment sum put in place. This is usually via the Agency in the first instance, however if the necessary circumstances apply, this can occur via the Family Court or Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
