If you didn’t pay enough child support

If you can’t pay your child support in full

If you can’t pay your ongoing child support liability in full, you need to call us on the Child Support enquiry line. We can discuss options to keep up with payments.

We can’t stop collecting child support payments unless there’s a stay order in place.

If you don’t contact us, or we can’t agree on a payment arrangement, we may take action to collect the overdue amount.

What financial information is available

If you’re going through a hard time financially, there is help available. You can get free financial help and information, find a financial counsellor or get help with debt.

Our Financial Information Service (FIS) Officers provide free, independent and confidential information, tools and resources that can help you make informed decisions about your current and future financial needs.

Find out more about how our FIS Officers can help you.

If you’re experiencing financial hardship

If you’re experiencing financial hardship, you should call us on the Child Support enquiry line to discuss your circumstances.

You can also complete the Statement of financial details for debt repayment form to tell us about your financial situation. This form can be uploaded electronically.

Late payment penalties

If you don’t pay your child support in full and on time, we may apply penalties on the outstanding amount.

You pay the penalty amount to the Australian Government, not to the receiving parent. If you pay the overdue child support, we may reduce or remove the penalty from your account.

If you have overdue child support, find out how we recover unpaid amounts.