How we work out who pays
Normally you’ll either:
- pay child support if your percentage of care of a child is less than your share of the combined income
- receive child support if your percentage of care of a child is more than your share of the combined income.
We consider each parent’s income equally when we make a child support assessment. We don’t use income from non-parent carers.
Read more about how your income affects your payment.
How we work out the amount
We look at all of the following:
- the parents’ income and combined income
- how much time each parent cares for the child
- the child’s age.
We work out the costs of a child, based on research about how much parents spend on children in Australia.
The figures change each year to keep up with current costs and incomes.
The basic formula is for parents with only 1 child support assessment.
Read more about working out payments using the basic formula.
You can also read more about the:
- basic formula for child support amounts on the Child Support Guide website
- details of child support amounts on the Child Support Guide website.
What’s the link between child support and Family Tax Benefit
You may need to apply for a child support assessment to receive more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A.
Normally:
- the more child support you receive, the less Family Tax Benefit you receive
- the less child support you receive, the more Family Tax Benefit you receive.