2015 child support changes

Child support laws changed on 1 April 2015. As a result, there is a new way of working out child support. Find out more about what changed.

Here's what changed

The calculation to work out how much child support to pay or receive now considers the following:

• The incomes of both parents.
• More of the care both parents provide is taken into account - on 1 April 2015, the threshold for care reduced to 28% (103 nights or more a year, or two nights a week).
• Both parents now receive assessments which may include allowances for any other children of their own who live with them. This allowance is based on the children’s ages, and the current cost of raising children in New Zealand.
• Parents' assessments no longer include allowances for partners, or children living with them who are not their own.

Find out more

Read more about changes to the calculation

Watch our "Child support has changed" 2015 video

Child support 2015 changes factsheet - English and translated