Why you need to apply for child support while you get FTB Part A

If it’s difficult for you to apply for a child support assessment, call us to discuss your options. You can call the:

• Centrelink families line
• Centrelink Indigenous call centre, if you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Centrelink multilingual phone service, for a language other than English.

You may need to apply for child support if you’re one of the following:

• a biological parent
• an adoptive parent
• a person who’s legally responsible for a child born through an artificial conception procedure
• a person who’s legally responsible for a child born where there’s a surrogacy court order.

Maintenance action test

If you or your partner care for a child from a past relationship, you must take reasonable action to get child support. You must do this to get more than the base rate of FTB Part A.

We call this the Maintenance Action Test. You can meet this test by applying for a child support assessment.

If you don’t take action in time, your FTB Part A may be reduced to the base rate for that child.

Taking reasonable maintenance action

To take reasonable action to get child support, you need to either:

• apply for a child support assessment with Child Support
• apply to Child Support to ask them to accept a child support agreement.

Maintenance action grace period

You must take reasonable action to get child support within 91 days of any of the following:

• the child being born or entering your care
• you separating from the child’s other parent
• your percentage of care increasing to 35% or more
• you first becoming eligible to apply for child support.

Maintenance action test exemption

If you can’t apply for or collect child support for any reason, call us to discuss your situation. You can call the:

• Centrelink Families line
• Centrelink Indigenous call centre, if you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Centrelink multilingual phone service, for a language other than English.

You may be able to get an exemption from seeking child support.

This may include if:

• you’ve experienced, or fear family and domestic violence or other types of abuse
• your child’s parentage is unknown.

In some cases, a social worker may assess your situation. We’ll let you know if this applies.

Taking maintenance action after the grace period ends

After the grace period ends, we can’t pay you more than the base rate of FTB Part A until you do one of the following :

• apply for a child support assessment
• have a child support agreement accepted by Child Support
• get an exemption.