Child support and the Family Court

If you disagree with a decision we’ve made about your objection, review, Commissioner review or exemption review, you can apply to the Family Court to see if they will overturn our decision.

We cannot give you legal advice, but we can help you understand the process. For help and advice when applying to the Family Court, you can:

talk to a lawyer or your local Family Court
visit your nearest Community Law Centre or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
go to the Ministry of Justice website - How to file and serve documents - www.justice.govt.nz

Helping you to understand child support and the Family Court IR174 2020 (PDF 88KB) Download guide

Pages in this section

Overview When you can appeal, how the process works, and due dates for your application.
Who else is involved If you appeal in the Family Court, Inland Revenue and the other parent or carer may be involved, and certain information will be shared.
After you have applied Paying while waiting for a court hearing, how long court orders last, and what to do if your situation changes.
Appeal our objection decision If we disallow your objection, you can appeal our decision in the Family Court within 2 months.
Appeal our review decision - respondent If you disagree with our decision on your child support, Commissioner-initiated or exemption review, you can appeal in the Family Court within 2 months of that decision (or longer if the Court agrees).
Apply for a departure order - review applicant You can apply for a departure order if either you applied for a child support review and you disagree with our decision, or we refused to make a decision on a review you were involved in because your situation was too complex.
File a notice of defence If the Family Court names you as the other party in a child support appeal or departure order, you have 21 days to file a notice of defence. This lets you give your own point of view in Court.

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