Questions, Myths and Facts

Why should I pay child support when I don't get to see my kids?

It can be incredibly tough when you can't see your children, but they still need your financial support for their day-to-day care and wellbeing-no matter where they live or how often you see them.

Contact with your children is a matter for you and the other parent to decide. The financial support of your children is a separate issue. By putting your children before your problems with the other parent you will be putting them first and contributing to their ongoing care and wellbeing.

Some relationships will always be challenging, however your relationship with the other parent may improve with time and perspective. It is important to remember that there is support available for you, the other parent and the children though education, information, counselling and mediation.

It is also important to remember that you may not be partners anymore, you will both be parents forever. Building a workable relationship with the other parent can help manage the conflict between the two of you for the benefit of your children. Studies show that when children are actively involved with both their dad and their mum, they do better at school, feel better about themselves and are generally healthier-so making the effort to develop a workable relationship with the other parent and maintaining contact with your children, is definitely worth it.

Helpful Links

CD-ROM-Dealing with Separation. Experiences, tips and tools.

Me and My Kids-Parenting from a Distance (PDF 485k).

What about Me-Taking care of yourself (PDF 2.9M).

Me, My Kids and My Ex-Forming a workable relationship for the benefit of your children (PDF 836k).

Me and My Changing Family-Moving forward (PDF 1.02M)

How much money do parents pay to support their children?

The child support scheme is based on parents using some of their income to support their children-just like they would if the family was together. Payments are worked out using a formula that takes into account the income of both parents, the number of children and how much time the children spend with each parent.

The formula was developed on a basic premise: children should benefit from their parents' ability to financially support them even if their parents are not still together. In other words, if the family income was high prior to separation, then the children shouldn't necessarily be disadvantaged financially after the family separates.

How can I pay when it costs so much to stay in contact?

If keeping in contact with your children costs a lot of money (airfares, telephone calls etc.), please talk to CSA to see if this has any impact on the amount of child support you need to pay. Sometimes, in special circumstances, child support can be changed for reasons such as allowing for the costs of maintaining contact with your children.

If you think this may apply to you, talk to CSA as you may be eligible for a change of assessment.

If your income changes, you become unemployed, or if you have a new baby (a relevant dependent) with a new partner, contact CSA as soon as possible so we can make sure your assessment accurately reflects your circumstances.

Helpful Links

Me and My Money-tips and hints to help you stretch your dollar after separation (PDF 691k).

Budgeting Tool

Does the Child Support Agency get a cut of the money I pay?

No. CSA transfers the full amount of child support paid from one parent to the other.

Any penalties for late payment of child support are paid into Government revenue, not to CSA. They are not paid to the other parent.

The Australian Government funds the day-to-day operations of CSA.

Am I better off on the dole?

Before you make any decisions about your employment status, you need to think about the long term repercussions of your actions. Generally you and your children will not be better off if you are unemployed. You might pay less child support in the short term but your limited income will restrict your lifestyle as well as your ability to provide for your children.

There is a lot more to consider than the money. By becoming unemployed, you can lose touch with your friends, work mates, useful contacts; you can lose valuable work skills and dramatically limit your future employment opportunities. Lost superannuation contributions can also dramatically affect your quality of life in retirement.

When it comes to spending time with your children or setting up a new life, you might find that leaving your job limits your options here too.

Its important to understand that leaving your job does not mean that your child support payments will automatically decrease. The impact on you, your future and your children's day-to-day wellbeing can be devastating.

"I think if I was only on the dole in order to beat the Child Support Agency and to beat her (my Ex), then we'd all be losing... I want to be financially secure for my kids."

Helpful Links

If you're finding it tough to manage your money post separation, these resources and budgeting tools may help:

Me and My Money-tips and hints to help you stretch your dollar after separation (PDF 691k).

Budgeting Tool

I feel depressed and worried all the time. Where can I get some help?

Separation is one of the most stressful events we will ever experience in our lives. It can affect the way we think, feel and act.

Can you recognise some of the following situations?

• Ongoing conflict with your ex.
• Long and drawn out dealing with the legal system.
• More parental responsibility.
• Living apart from your children.
• Unemployment.
• Feeling lethargic, unhappy and unmotivated.
• Lack of money.
• Guilty feelings.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Drinking too much.
• Loss of home, friend and dreams.

All of these are common and normal experiences after separation. If you didn't feel stress and anxiety as a result of these events occurring in your life, you wouldn't be human. The emotional impact of separation can be intense and can bring with it highs and lows-it is a very difficult time.

If you are experiencing feelings of anger, depression, despair, anxiety or shock, the good news is that there is help available and it is crucial that you take the time to look after your own feelings and emotions so you can be there for your children.

Research shows that that in most circumstances children do better at school, feel better about themselves and generally grow up to be healthier and happier adults when both their mum and dad are in their lives.

Where can I find extra help?

Don't be anxious about asking for help if you need it. We all need someone to talk to at some stage in our lives and it's often good if they are outside our immdediate circle of family and friends. Take one day at a time, one step at a time.

You can get extra help from:

• Counsellors - see the Community Services Directory for a list of services in your local area. In some cases, your CSA case officer may be able to directly transfer you through to a community service provider. Ask your case officer for more information.
• Your local GP
• Church leaders or Community elders
• The Internet - try these websites
• www.bluepages.anu.edu.au
• www.depressionet.com.au
• www.mhca.com.au

Check out What about Me?-Taking care of yourself (PDF 2.9M) for some practical ideas on looking after yourself after separation.

How do I know if the money I pay to CSA is really being spent on the kids? Why can't CSA monitor this?

The bottom line is that it is not always possible to know if the money is being spent directly on the kids. In most cases, however, child support is spent on things such as rent, food, bills, transport, house-hold maintenance and so on. All of these expenses are essential for the day-to-day care of your children-ultimately parents are in the best position to know what children need and how much it costs.

To account for how parents spend child support money would be extremely complex and costly to administer. CSA prefers to keep this responsibility with the parents.

However, the Child Support Scheme does allow you to have some control over where child support is spent. For example the costs of school fees, medical expenses and some other costs can be credited towards your child support payments. These kinds of payments are called Non Agency Payments. If both parents agree, you can make payments to a third party for specific costs, such as your children's sports or music lessons. In addition you may be able to make an agreement with the other parent which can allow for more flexibility when making child support payments. For example a proportion of your share of the property settlements can be counted towards child support.

Can CSA legally take extreme measures to collect unpaid child support?

CSA will only use enforcement measures if all other avenues have been exhausted. Most parents pay their child support regularly and voluntarily, however some parents fall behind in their payments or, in the worst case scenario, can afford to pay but refuse to do so.

In these circumstances CSA will try to contact the paying parent to make sure the assessment is correct and then negotiate a payment arrangement with them that the paying parent can comply with. If this fails, CSA has a number of administrative and legal recovery methods available that CSA will use to recover unpaid child support.

Do second families come second?

No they don't, but it can be tough when you are struggling to rebuild your life and move forward.

If you have a new baby (a relevant dependant) with your new partner, it is very important that you tell CSA about it as soon as possible as this may reduce the amount of child support you need to pay. See Formula to calculate child support for more information about exempted income.

If you are working overtime, or you take on a second job to support your new family and you have already informed CSA of any new children, you may still be able to apply for a change of assessment. You may apply to have your payments reduced on the basis that you have earned additional income for the benefit of resident children (reason 10).

Facts - Did you know?

• 1.1 million children benefit from child support payments.
• Ninety-five per cent of all child support-over $18 billion-has been paid since CSA was established in 1988
• About 1.3 million parents are registered with the Child Support Agency. More than half of these parents choose to pay their child support privately.
• Nearly all child support arrangements are handled over the phone-quickly and confidentially. Please call 131 272, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.45pm.