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CSA and receiving parents

If you’re owed child support, you may have the information to help the Child Support Agency (CSA) collect your outstanding payments.

The CSA aims to ensure children can rely on their parents for the financial and emotional support necessary for their wellbeing. When parents don’t receive payments in full and on time it can make life difficult. The CSA is doing everything it can to make sure parents receive the right amount, however there are things you can do to help us ensure that your children are supported.

Hints and tips

Keeping in touch with the CSA

• If you’re owed child support, you may have information to help the CSA collect your outstanding payments.
• Information such as where the other parent is working, where they bank, how they structure their income or if they’ve moved house can be vital.
• This information can be used by our Customer Service Officers to contact the paying parent and work with them to regularly pay the right amount on time.
• It’s important to keep your details up-to-date to ensure you’re receiving the right amount of child support. Make sure you tell the CSA as soon as possible if any of your details change. This includes:
  • contact details
  • payment details
  • care arrangements
  • income details
  • children’s details (for example, if you have children with another partner)
  • relationship status (for example, if you and the other parent get back together).
• Enrol to use CSAonline, the CSA’s secure online service that lets you view and update your details online. You can also tell us about any changes to your case. CSAonline is a convenient way for you to deal with us when and where it suits you, saving you time on the phone. Go to www.csa.gov.au to enrol.

Don’t want to rock the boat?

• If you want to receive child support but are afraid of the other parent’s reaction, or you or your children have experienced or are in danger of violence, please let us know. Call the CSA on 131 272* and tell us about your situation, and we can explain your child support options.
• Centrelink can also provide support and benefits where appropriate.
• The CSA has a sensitive approach to collecting child support payments and hopes to minimise the impact on both parents and children.

Our approach to collecting overdue child support

Our approach differs for each parent according to their situation.
For most parents, our focus is on making the system easier to use and providing support, education and assistance. However, parents who continue to avoid making child support payments will face a comprehensive range of advanced detection and enforcement actions.

In situations where there’s little or no evidence of a parent’s commitment to meeting their child support responsibilities or where there’s evidence of fraud, we rely on enforcement activities to ensure we achieve the best outcome for children and both parents. We tailor our response to address the particular situation of the parent.

At all times, we endeavour to use an approach that is:

• considered reasonable, with the level of intervention limited to what’s required for that customer
• considered balanced, with customers being aware that we listen to ‘both sides of the story’ and their cooperation will help us achieve the best outcomes
• communicated clearly, so customers know their responsibilities, how to meet them and the consequences if they fail to meet them.

Compliance program

For more information about compliance read 2010-2012 Compliance Program - CSA: Supporting parents to meet their child support responsibilities or for more factsheets on this subject visit www.csa.gov.au

Compliance Model

For further information and help

Call CSA on 131 272†
Call the Telephone Interpreting Service on 131 450*
Visit the CSA website www.csa.gov.au
Ask your representative to assist.

Support Services

Family Relationship Advice Line
Phone: 1800 050 321
www.familyrelationships.gov.au
8am–8pm weekdays, 10am–4pm Sat. (public holidays excluded)
Assists people from families affected by relationship or separation issues.

Other CSA resources:

The Parents Guide to Child Support—information about child support for separated parents.

Me and My series of self-help booklets (available in a range of languages and as audio downloads).

Dealing with Separation interactive CD Rom.

Our family’s changed—an activity book for five to seven year olds.

A kid’s guide to changing families—a computer game on CD–ROM for eight to 12 year olds.

Family Separation: a guide for teens—helping young people cope with family separation and change.

CSAonline—this is a secure online service where you can view and update your child support information when it suits you.
Go to www.csa.gov.au to enrol.

To order any free CSA publication or more fact sheets visit www.csa.gov.au or freecall 1800 040 972 (charges apply to mobile and public phones).

Your privacy

CSA collects information about you and your family for child support purposes. We understand that some information is sensitive, and we place great importance on protecting your privacy. For more information see the Privacy fact sheet.

The Australian Government Services Fraud tip-off line

The Australian Government Services Fraud tip-off line provides people with a place to report suspected fraud against Centrelink, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or the Child Support Agency. If you have information about someone who is mis-using government services, call 131 524*.

*Call charges may apply to the telephone numbers listed.
† Please note: your call may be recorded.

Do you need interpreting help?

If you don’t speak English and need help from CSA, ring the Telephone Interpreting Service on 131 450.

CSA 4076.04.11