You can use Private Collect if we’ve:
- made a child support assessment
- accepted a child support agreement
- registered a court order for child support.
There are other collection options you may be able to use. You can compare child support collection options.
If there’s a reason that makes it difficult or unsafe for you to collect some or all of your child support, call us on the Child Support enquiry line to discuss your options. This includes reasons like financial abuse or family violence.
Using Private Collect
You can only ask for Private Collect if you’re either:
- the receiving parent
- applying jointly with the receiving parent.
Use Private Collect if you:
- want flexible payments
- can talk with the paying parent or non-parent carer about money
- don’t need much help to work things out with the paying parent
- can rely on payments being on time and in full.
- can rely on the other parent lodging their tax returns on time and supplying us with the right income information.
Private Collect may not be right for you if:
- you’re concerned about your safety or the safety of your children
- you or the other parent have income that regularly changes or is unreliable
- financial conversations are a source of conflict between you and the other parent
- you get Family Tax Benefit (FTB) at more than the base rate
- you or the other parent are not up to date with lodging tax return
- you or the other parent have elected to estimate your income.
Who does what
We’ll tell you how much child support the paying parent needs to pay.
You and the other parent work out how, and when, you’ll make or receive payments.
You can set payments up in a way that works for both of you. You don’t need to tell us. You both should understand and agree on the plan. You should keep records.
If there are any changes to your current assessment or for a past period that results in a Child Support debt, you will need to collect this debt from the paying parent.
If your circumstances change and you’re no longer able to collect the full amount of your payments or a debt from a past period, you should contact us to discuss your options. Call us on the Child Support enquiry line.
How Private Collect affects your FTB
If you or your partner get FTB payments, it’s important you understand how Private Collect can affect your FTB.
If you choose Private Collect and get FTB, we’ll pay your FTB Part A based on the amount of child support you’re assessed to receive. In most circumstances we can’t pay you more FTB if you don’t collect the full amount of child support. If your assessment changes for a past period this amount will be used to calculate your FTB Part A payment, and in some circumstances, you may be overpaid FTB.
If you’re unable to collect your full Child Support payments, contact us to discuss your options.
Read more about Private Collect and Family Tax Benefit.
If asking for child support puts you at risk
If there is a reason that makes it difficult for you to collect some or all of your child support you can ask us to collect the payments on your behalf, and if you receive FTB you may be eligible for an exemption. Call us on the Child Support enquiry line to discuss your options or ask to speak to a social worker.
If you’re at risk of, or affected by financial abuse, financial control or family and domestic violence you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. Or visit their website.
You can talk privately on the phone or online to someone who’s trained to help. It’s free and open 24/7. Read more about who else can help with family and domestic violence.
There are other ways to get child support. Read about your collection options or call us on the Child support enquiry line.
Agreeing on the collection details
How much
Your child support assessment, agreement or court order sets the payment amount. This might be per week, fortnight, month or year.
If you have a court order or agreement, check if it sets any other payment rules.
How often
You need to agree on how often the payments will be made. This can include:
- regular payments, like each week, fortnight or every month
- larger payments that cover a set amount of time
- payments made in advance or after the due date.
It’s important for both of you to clearly understand and agree to payment details from the start to avoid confusion and conflict later on. This can help the arrangement run smoothly and prevent any issues.
What payment method
You need to agree on the payment method. It could be either:
- cash
- bank transfer
- salary deduction
- personal or bank cheque
- money order.
Read about payment methods.
If you’re paying someone else
Payments can go to someone else on behalf of the receiving parent. For this to happen, both the paying parent and the receiving parent must agree. This can include some, or all of the payment, going to third parties.
If you’re paying in kind
Both the paying parent and the receiving parent can agree on payments that aren’t in the form of money. This is where the paying parent does or gives something that’s worth as much as a payment. For example, the use of their car or painting a house.
You need to agree and be clear about:
- what the paying parent will do or give
- how much it’s worth
- how often this will happen.
How to put it in writing
It’s a good idea to put your payment agreement in writing. You should write down your payment agreement, both read and agree to all the details and both sign it. Make sure you both keep a copy.
Talk to the other parent if you want to change the agreement.
Managing payments
Why you need to keep records
Keep records of every payment you make or receive, even if you pay cash. This will help avoid any confusion. If you are making a payment by bank transfer you can include the period it covers in the payment description and that it is for Child Support.
You’ll also want these records if you ever ask us to:
- review how we work out your Family Tax Benefit amount
- collect child support in the future.
How to tell us about changes
Tell us straight away about any changes that may affect child support. This will help us make sure your assessment is accurate and change it if it isn’t.
If your Child Support online account is linked to myGov you can tell us about changes to your circumstances online.
You can also tell us by either:
- calling us on our Child Support enquiry line
- writing to us.
What if there’s a late payment
One late payment doesn’t mean the paying parent has broken the agreement. There could be a number of reasons for the late payment.
If you can, talk to the other parent and try to get payments back on track.
You have 3 months, or 9 months in exceptional circumstances, to get things back on track. After this Child Support may be unable to collect all of your outstanding payments.
If you’re unable to work things out, call us on the Child Support enquiry line to discuss your options.
How to change to Private Collect
If your Child Support online account is linked to myGov you can ask to change to Private Collect online.
You can also ask to change to Private Collect by either:
- filling in a Request to change payment collection method form and sending it to us online or by post
- calling us on our Child Support enquiry line.
How to change from Private Collect
Only the receiving parent can ask to change to Child Support Collect. This means we’ll collect the payments for you.
You need to either:
- fill in a Request to change payment collection method form and send it to us online or by post
- call us on our Child Support enquiry line.
After you start Child Support Collect we can collect overdue payments going back either:
- up to 3 months in normal circumstances
- up to 9 months in exceptional circumstances.
Read more about exceptional circumstances on the Department of Social Services website.
Contact numbers available on this page.
Child Support enquiry line
Use this line if you have a question about child support or need to report a change in your circumstances. Let us know if you need an interpreter and we’ll arrange one for free.
There are other ways you may want to contact us.