in this guide
We use your adjusted taxable income from the previous financial year to work out how much child support you need to pay. If your current income is different to the amount in your assessment, you may be able to lodge an estimate.
We’ll only consider your first estimate if your income has dropped by 15% or more.
Use this guide if you need to estimate your current income for this financial year. If you already have an estimate in place, you’ll need to update it, even if it hasn’t changed.
It’s important to keep your income details up to date. This includes any increase or decrease to your income during the financial year. This helps make sure your child support assessment and child support payments are accurate.
Read more about how your income affects your payment.
The screenshots in this guide are from a computer. The page layout will look different if you’re using a mobile device.
Step 1: get started
Sign into myGov or the myGov app and select Child Support.
From the menu, select Manage circumstances then Estimate income for the current financial year.
Read the information on the Lodge income estimate page to help you complete your update, then select Begin.
Read about What you need to know, then select Next.
Step 2: update your income
Between 1 April and 30 June, you may be eligible to lodge an estimate of income for the Next financial year. During this time we’ll ask you to select from either:
- Current financial year
- Next financial year.
If you are lodging an estimate of income during 1 July and 31 March, Current financial year will be pre-selected and Next financial year won’t show.
In this example, we’ll select Current financial year. Select Next to continue.
Because you can’t change this selection later, we’ll confirm if you want to continue.
Select:
- Yes, continue if you want to keep your selection and continue
- No, stay on page if you want to go back and change your selection.
If you selected Yes, continue, you’ll go to the Lodge income estimate overview page.
Financial year – Current will show as Complete. To continue, select Eligibility.
On the Total income amount page, we’ll ask you if your income will decrease by 15% or more.
If you select:
- No, we’ll let you know that you may not be eligible to lodge an income estimate.
- Yes, you’ll go to the Change of income page.
When you’ve made a selection, select Next.
On the Change of income page, use the drop down menu to select the reason why your estimate changed.
Select the calendar icon. A pop out calendar will appear. Select the date that your income changed. You can also enter the date manually as DD/MM/YYYY.
If the information you’ve entered is correct, select Next.
Because you can’t change these responses later, we’ll confirm if you want to continue.
Select:
- Yes, continue if you want to keep your selection and continue
- No, stay on page if you want to go back and change your selection.
If you selected Yes, Continue, you’ll go to the Lodge income estimate overview page.
Eligibility will show as Complete. To continue, select Year to date income.
Step 3: year to date and estimate incomes
You’ll need to give us details about your current income estimate for the financial year in 2 parts if:
- this is your first estimate
- it starts after 1 July.
You will need to give us both:
- income you’ve already earned in the year to date
- estimated income you expect to earn for the rest of the financial year (until 30 June).
This helps us calculate your income for the rest of the financial year.
For both the year to date and estimated income components, we’ll ask you about the following income sources:
- salary and wages
- employment termination or lump sum payments
- taxable pensions or benefits
- tax free pensions and benefits
- allowances, tips or directors fees
- business income
- net capital gains.
In this example, we’ll demonstrate adding a year to date income source for Salary and wages. You’ll need to repeat the following steps for each income source and period.
Review the information on the Year to date income page then select Next.
The Year to date salary and wages page shows first. We’ll ask if you have any salary or wages to declare for the year to date period.
If Yes is selected, we’ll prompt you to select Add income to enter the details for your source of income.
Enter the income details, then select Next.
We’ll show you an overview of the details you provided, Check the details you’ve entered are correct.
Select:
- Add another income, if you need to add more salary and wages
- Edit, to update your income details
- Delete, to remove your income details.
If the details are complete and correct, select Next.
You’ll then be taken to the next income component, if you select Yes repeat the steps above. If you select No, you’ll move to the next income component.
When you’ve finished providing information on all the income components, we’ll show you the information you provided. Review the details to make sure they are correct.
Select:
- Edit income, if you need to add or edit the Year to date income component
- Next, to continue.
If you selected Next, you’ll go to the Lodge income estimate overview page.
Year to date income will show as Complete. Select Estimated income, and repeat step 3.
When Year to date income and Estimated income show as Complete, go to step 4.
Step 4: other income
From the Lodge income estimate overview page, select Other income.
Read the information on the Other income and allowable deductions page, then select Next.
From the Select your other income source page, select either:
- any income source you’d like to declare. In this example we’ll select Allowable deductions.
- None of these apply to me.
When you’ve made your selections, select Next.
We’ll ask more questions about your other income. When you’ve finished adding your details, select Next.
We’ll show you the information you provided. Review the details to make sure they are correct.
Select from the following:
- Edit Select your other income, to edit your other income
- Edit income, if you need to edit the income amount or period
- Next, to continue.
Step 5: review and submit
From the Lodge income estimate overview page, select Review and submit.
We’ll give you a summary of the details you’ve given us. You can expand and collapse each section to view more or less.
Review the details you have provided, and if you need to change your details, select Edit for the relevant section.
If your details are correct, select Next.
Read the information on the Submit income estimate page.
If you understand and agree with the declaration, select I have read, understood and accept the declaration.
Select Submit.
Step 6: receipt
We’ll give you a receipt when you submit your update. Make a note of the Receipt ID for your records.
We’ll review the information you’ve provided and if we need more information or evidence, we will contact you.
You can provide evidence to support your update by selecting Upload documents. For more information read Upload your Child Support documents online.
Select either:
- Save receipt to keep a PDF copy of your receipt
- Return Home to go back to your online account homepage.
Step 7: sign out
From your homepage you can complete other transactions or select Return to myGov to go back to your myGov account.
For your privacy and security, sign out when you’ve finished using your myGov account.
We have other guides to help you. Read about help for myGov, online accounts and mobile apps.