The new Child Support Scheme and changes to Family Assistance
New child support terms
Adjusted taxable income
The total of your taxable income plus other income components: gross
reportable fringe benefits total, target foreign income, net rental property
income and losses, and some tax-free pensions or benefits.
Self-support amount
An amount for supporting yourself that is deducted from your adjusted
taxable income.
Child support income
The income used to calculate child support, which is your adjusted
taxable income minus the self-support amount, minus allowances for relevant
dependent children and multi-cases.
Relevant dependent child
A child, either natural or adopted, from a second or subsequent family
that lives with you.
Regular care
Care of your child between 14 and 34 per cent of the time.
Shared care
Care of your child between 35 and 65 per cent of the time.
Primary care
Care of your child between 66 and 86 per cent of the time.
Sole care
Care of your child between 87 and 100 per cent of the time.
Cost percentage
A percentage that reflects the costs you incur when you provide care
for your child, for example accommodation, food and entertainment.
Income percentage
One parent’s share of both parents’ incomes.
Care percentage
The amount of care you have of your child.
Multi-case allowance
An allowance, deducted from the parent’s adjusted taxable income, that
acknowledges if you pay child support to two or more families.
Multi-case cost
The cost of the child support child as if they were still living with
you.
Multi-case cap
A cap on the multi-case cost of each child, to ensure you don’t pay
more in child support than it would cost if the child lived with you.