The Guide
CSA's online guide to administration of the new child support scheme

Community Services Directory
Access 2,400 support services for separated families

Stay informed
Subscribe to CSA media releases

If you decide to give your relationship another chance

We will suspend child support for six months if parents decide to get back together. It will be as though the child support assessment has ended. No child support will be payable, unless there are arrears, and no new outstanding payments will accumulate.

If you receive child support, you can choose to end the assessment earlier in the reconciliation if you wish. If you are still together after six months, we will automatically end the child support assessment.

If one of you has another child support assessment with someone else, the children who are living with you will be treated as relevant dependent children in that assessment.

If you are a Centrelink customer and have a child support assessment, you need to tell both us and Centrelink. Centrelink will need to know your new income details and any other changes in your circumstances to reassess your family assistance and/or income support.

If you separate again

If you separate again within six months and the receiving parent didn't already choose to end the assessment, either parent can reinstate the assessment by simply telling us you have separated again. The paying parent will only start paying child support from the new date of separation.

If you separate again after six months either parent needs to apply for a new child support assessment within 13 weeks of the new date of separation.

If you receive a family assistance payment

If you get back together with your partner, your Family Tax Benefit Part A will be assessed on your and your partner's income. Depending on your income, you may not be entitled to receive Family Tax Benefit Part B. Child support will not be collected and therefore the Maintenance Income Test won't apply.

If you separate again within six months

The Maintenance Income Test will apply immediately from the new date of separation
If we collect child support for you, we will restart collecting for you; your Family Tax Benefit Part A will be assessed on the child support collected
If you collect child support privately, you need to collect child support from the other parent straight away; your Family Tax Benefit Part A will be assessed on the amount of child support you are entitled to receive.

If you separate again after six months

If you do not apply for a child support assessment or request an exemption from applying for a child support assessment, within 13 weeks, you will only receive the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A for your children from that relationship.

To suspend, end or reinstate your child support assessment call us on 131 272.

Print this page

Top of page