What is the procedure & steps involved for Child Support Payments

What do you do to organise to get paid Child Support? 

Often parents are able to agree upon child support arrangements themselves.

Parents may document any agreement they reach privately in a private Child Support Agreement.

If parents reach a private agreement about Child Support and do not detail it in a Child Support Agreement, it is recommended that records be permanently kept as evidence of amounts paid for Child Support.

When parents separate, a child support assessment is not automatically made.

After separation, if parents have not reached agreement about payment of child support, then the parent who has the Child living with them, must lodge an Application for Child Support with the Child Support Agency.

Generally, to receive Centrelink benefits, Centrelink will also require an Application for Child Support to be lodged with the Child Support Agency, unless an exemption to do so is granted.

Child Support: More you need to know

 

 

Read about when payment of Child Support will stop.

There is a difference between Child Support and Child Maintenance. If you don’t know what the difference is, you can read more in our information sheet What is Child Support and Child Maintenance.

If you need to know who must pay Child Support, you can read more in our information sheet Who is liable to pay Child Support.

We also have a separate information sheet answering the question Does Child Support have to be paid.

Whether you arrange to have child support paid privately or collected through the Child Support Agency, you will need to know what to do to arrange for Child Support payments to start. This is explained in our information sheet What is the procedure & steps involved for Child Support payments.

How much Child Support should be paid is commonly an issue between parents. There is a method the Child Support Agency use to assess Child Support which is explained in our information sheet How is Child Support Calculated.

If you do not agree with the decision made by the Child Support Agency when they assessed the amount of Child Support to be paid then you should read the information sheet What if I disagree with a Child Support Agency Decision.

Some parents reach agreement about how much child support should be paid. there are different types of private agreements you can enter into. Read more in the following information sheets:

• What is a Child Support Agreement
• What are Binding Child Support Agreements
• What are Limited Child Support Agreements
• The law for Child Support Agreements made before 1 July 2008

 

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