Making care arrangements for your children
It’s up to parents to manage care details that are in the best interests of
the children. The child support formula recognises the care each parent has of their
children, and small changes usually don’t affect payments.
Your child’s care arrangements
To make sure we have the same information about care from both parents and can calculate
your payments correctly, we recommend you have one of the following in place:
- a written agreement or parenting plan with the
other parent about the percentage of care
- a court order about care,
which you have supplied to us.
When there are changes to care
When there are changes to care, where possible try to make a new parenting plan or
agreement. In some cases, small changes in care may not change child support payments.
This gives parents more flexibility about small changes in care without worrying
about the effect on child support.
If the care you have of the children changes, call us on 131 272.
If you do not tell us about your new care arrangements within 28 days of the change,
your assessment may only be able to be changed from the day you tell us.
If the agreed care details aren’t working out or you don’t agree
In some instances, parents may be unable to agree on the percentage of care they
provide for their children. They may agree about the facts of what care is occurring,
but they don’t agree that care should be happening in that way. If this is
the case, there are options available to help you resolve the situation. You can:
Our Community Services Directory lists over
2,500 community support services for separated families. Or go to
Spending time with your children for information about dispute resolution
and other services that may assist.