Recognising care of the children
Child support is calculated to recognise shared parenting and the contribution each parent makes towards the costs of the children through direct care.
Click on one of these topics for more information:
Levels of care
Child support payments reflect each parent’s level of care and how much it costs parents to care for their children.
Regular care
Where a paying parent has regular care of a child, child support assessments are reduced to acknowledge that the parent directly contributes to the costs of raising the child through care.
Regular care is care of your child between 14 and 34 per cent of the time. This equals between 52 and 127 nights per year, which is two to four nights of care per fortnight.
Shared care
Where parents share care of a child, child support is further adjusted. Both parents may receive family assistance payments to help them with the costs of the children.
Shared care is care of your child between 35 and 65 per cent of the time. This equals between 128 and 237 nights per year, which is five to nine nights of care per fortnight.
Other care levels
The formula recognises other levels of care too. We use a table to work out your care percentage.
Meeting costs through care
Parents with regular or more care are acknowledged as directly meeting some of the costs of their children through care. This is called the cost percentage, and it reflects your expenditure on costs like accommodation, food and entertainment while the children are in your care.
Parents with regular care are acknowledged as directly meeting 24 per cent of the costs of the children, with the remainder of their share of the costs being payable as child support.
Where you have care for at least 35 per cent of the time, a sliding scale increases the direct cost percentage as care increases, from 25 per cent up to 50 per cent. So, a parent is recognised as meeting 50 per cent of the costs of children if their care percentage is between 48 to 52 per cent.
We use a table to work out your cost percentage.
Example: Joseph and Ellie
Ellie and Joseph’s children, Paul, Jack and Kylie, live most of the time with Ellie, and every second weekend and some school holidays with Joseph. Care arrangements are flexible and it amounts to a regular care level for Joseph of between 14 and 34 per cent. Ellie has 66 to 86 per cent care.
We work out each parent’s cost percentage for each child, which is the amount each parent directly contributes to the costs of the children through care. Based on his level of care, Joseph has a cost percentage of 24 per cent and Ellie has a cost percentage of 76 per cent.
If you are on a low income
If you are on a low income and you care for your children 14 per cent or more of the time (52 nights or more a year), you may not be required to pay child support. Your level of care is recognised as your contribution towards the cost of your child.
Learn more about minimum assessments.
Child support and family assistance
Child support and family assistance work together to make sure the costs of the children are being met by both parents.
The child support formula takes into account the costs of care when a parent has at least 14 per cent care, which differs depending on how much care you have.
Parents with regular care
If you have regular care of your children, that is, 14 to 34 per cent of the time (52 to 127 nights) — the costs you incur are taken into account under the formula. You won’t receive a share of Family Tax Benefit Part A or B or some other family assistance payments, but you may still be eligible to access other benefits like rent assistance and a Health Care Card. You may also be able to receive a higher ‘with child’ rate of income support.
Parents with shared care
If you have shared care of your children, that is, 35 to 65 per cent of the time (128 to 237 nights) — you may be able to share the Family Tax Benefit with the other parent.
Parents with primary care
If you have primary care of your children, that is, more than 65 per cent of the time (238 nights or more) — you may be able to receive 100 per cent of Family Tax Benefit.
Example: Joseph and Ellie
Ellie has 66 per cent or more care, so she will receive 100 per cent of Family Tax Benefit. Joseph will not receive any Family Tax Benefit but because he has regular care of the children, he may be entitled to receive other benefits such as Rent Assistance and a Health Care Card.
Help and information
For more information go to the Centrelink website or call 136 150.