Information for paying parents
Find out how much child support you will have to pay, how to make payments and how to avoid getting into debt. This section also includes information about your responsibilities if you live in Australia and also what to do if your circumstances change.
Contact us when your circumstances change
If you are a paying parent, it is very important to let us know if any changes in your circumstances occurs. Some changes will affect the amount of child support you pay.
Common questions and answers
Child support is money paid by parents who are not living with their children to help support those children financially. Here you will find answers to questions that paying parents often ask.
Working out your payments
Learn more about how assessments to pay child support are worked out. You can work out your assessment yourself and find out details on the circumstances that can change a child support assessment. Living allowances are also explained.
When to estimate your income
If you are a paying parent, the amount you must pay in child support depends on how much you earn. We usually assess your payments based on your income from either the previous year or the two years before. However, you may prefer to estimate your income if you are earning less now than you were in previous years.
Paying child support
When you first become liable for child support you will receive a notice of how much to pay. You will have 30 days (from the date the notice is issued) to make this first payment. After this, you will need to pay by the 20th of each month.
Avoid getting into debt
If you are a paying parent, learn how to avoid getting into debt with your child support payments. Penalties apply if you do not make child support payments.
Exemptions from paying child support
If you are in prison or in a hospital for 13 consecutive weeks or more, you may be eligible to apply to stop paying child support during this time.
Administrative reviews
An administrative review is based on the Family Court departure order process. Child Support staff organise the review process, but the actual review is done by an independent person, called the review officer, who is contracted to Inland Revenue.
When either parent moves overseas
The agreement allows one country to use the other country to collect child support from paying parents who are living in the other country.
Travelling overseas
Responsibilities that paying parents need to be aware of when travelling overseas.
Explaining the words and phrases we use
An explanation of the words and phrases that we use in child support. Both for our Look at Account Information (online service screens) and child support in general.
Date published: 23 Oct 2004
Back to top