Court orders for child support
The Family Courts deal with child maintenance for children whose child support cannot be assessed by CSA. This affects parents who separated and had all their children before 1 October 1989 or whose children are over 18.
All court orders, including orders made by consent, made or amended after 1 June 1988 must be registered with us within 14 days of being created or amended.
When a receiving parent tells us about a court order they can also choose to have payments collected privately or through us.
A child maintenance order ends when the child turns 18, unless the order states that it's to continue or another order is made. A child maintenance order also ends when a child gets married, enters into a de facto relationship or is adopted.
The court may only make extended or subsequent orders if maintenance is necessary to enable the child to finish school or because the child has a physical or mental impairment.
For more information about the relevant legislation and policy go to The Guide.
For more information about applying to the Family Courts call the Family Law Courts' National Enquiry Centre on 1300 352 000.