Do you have care of your grandkids?
Am I eligible for child support?
If you have care of grandchild/ren who are under the age of 18 years of age, you can receive
child support from one or both parents of the children if you apply to the Child Support Agency
(CSA) for a child support assessment.
The new Child Support Scheme
From 1 July 2008 the Child Support Scheme will change. Under the new scheme there will be some
changes to the way child support is assessed for non-parent carers. A non-parent carer includes
grandparents with care of a child under 18 years of age.
Child support payable to non-parent carers will still be worked out using a formula based on both
of the parents’ incomes, cost percentages and child support percentages – similar to
how it is worked out for parents. This helps ensure that both parents contribute to the ongoing
costs of raising their children. The amount of care each parent has will also be taken into
account.
However only the non-parent carer’s cost percentage, based on your percentage of care for
the child/ren, is relevant to working out how much child support is payable. Your income is not
taken into account. Your percentage of care is based on the number of nights you have care of the
child.
If you are a grandparent carer with significant regular daytime caring responsibilities and no
night time responsibilities, CSA recommends you and the parent(s) make a parenting plan and
provide a copy to CSA. The plan, which will outline how much time the child will be in your
care and your care percentage, will ensure your arrangement is recognised for child support
purposes.
Other Child Support products and services available to help you
The Me and My publications are a series booklets that provide practical advice for families after
separation such as how to manage a budget and how to maintain a healthy relationship with the
other parent or carer. These publications are available in English, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese,
Spanish and Turkish and can be ordered, along with other useful publications, from
www.csa.gov.au or by phoning 1800 040 972.
More Information
For more information about CSA or how the new scheme will affect grandparents and other
non-parent carers call 13 1272 or visit
www.csa.gov.au
CSA 4104.03.08