Non-agency payments

We call these non-agency payments and we may count these as a child support payment.

It’s important you talk to the other parent before you make any of these payments. We need to know if you both agree the payment is a child support payment.

If your Child Support online account is linked to myGov, you can tell us about any payments you’ve made or received as non-agency payments online. To do this, sign into myGov and select Advise an extraordinary payment.

Sign in to myGov

If you don’t have a myGov account or a Child Support online account you’ll need to create them.

You can also tell us about any payments you’ve made or received as non-agency payments by either:

• calling the Child support enquiry line
• filling out a non-agency payment details form.

Read our online guide to advising of extraordinary payments using your online account.

When you both agree it’s a child support payment

We can credit the following types of payments:

• direct payments from the paying parent to the receiving parent
• payments to a third party.

Examples of third party payments include:

• food
• clothing
• household goods
• rent or mortgage payments
• health insurance
• payments for essential medical or dental
• school fees.

Other examples of third party payments include:

• child care expenses
• credit card repayments
• household bills such as gas, electricity, phone or council rates
• motor vehicle expenses
• sporting expenses
• non-cash payments, such as a transfer of property or household repairs.

When one of you doesn’t agree it’s a child support payment

We can credit some non-agency payments even if the person receiving child support doesn’t agree.

We call these prescribed non-agency payments.

When we’ll credit a prescribed non-agency payment

We can credit up to 30% of child support as a prescribed non-agency payment. We only do this if the paying parent is paying at least 70% of their monthly child support liability on time.

We only credit a prescribed non-agency payment if the paying parent has less than 14% care of the children. This acknowledges that parents with 14% care or more are expected to share the cost of raising their children.

Read more about how your percentage of care affects your child support payments.

What are prescribed non-agency payments

Examples of prescribed non-agency payments include:

• child care costs
• school fees
• school uniform and book fees
• essential medical and dental items
• the receiving parent’s share of rent or mortgage payments
• the receiving parent’s share of utilities and rates
• some motor vehicle costs for the receiving parent’s vehicle.

Example

Jodie and Phil have 2 children, Steven and Gemma. Jodie pays $200 a month in child support to Phil.

Jodie pays $600 in school fees and asks us to credit the payment. Phil doesn’t agree this payment counts as child support.

School fees are a prescribed non-agency payment, and Jodie has less than 14% care of the children. This means we don’t need Phil’s agreement and we can credit the payment as child support.

Jodie pays $140, or 70% of her normal child support payment, on time every month. This allows the school fee credit to make up the other $60 or 30%.

This will happen until Jodie has used the whole $600 credit for the school fees.