What you need to know

To be eligible for a child support assessment you must meet residence rules. You also must be the legal parent or non-parent carer of the child.

A child support period is the amount of time an assessment covers. It can be up to 15 months.

We can make a child support assessment if at least one parent lives in Australia.

A parenting plan is a written agreement with the other parent. It sets rules for things like how much time the children will spend with each parent.

There are a number of reasons why a child support assessment will end.

If you provide care for a child and aren’t the parent, you may be able to receive child support from both parents. You must apply for a child support assessment.

We have arrangements for child support with a number of countries. We call these reciprocating jurisdictions.

We’ll try to contact you to discuss your payments and check your Australian assessment is correct and reflects your circumstances.

We may be able to help collect payments from a parent who lives outside Australia.

We have special arrangements for collecting and paying child support between Australia and New Zealand.