We consider each parent or non-parent carer’s care of the child as part of our child support assessment. This is their percentage of care.
We usually work out your care percentage based on the amount of care you provide.
You and the other parent may be able to agree how much care you each provide. You might both tell us one parent has care for 56 nights a year, and the other has care for the rest of the time.
If you can’t agree, we’ll work it out for you.
Evidence of statements made by other people can include voice recordings, text messages and social media posts. You can’t give us any verbal or written statements from anyone under 18.
We may work out your care percentage differently if you have a written care arrangement that isn’t being followed. If we do this, we base your care percentage on your written care arrangement for an interim period. Read more about disputed care.
Your care percentage also affects how much Family Tax Benefit Part A you can get.
Read about Child Support and Family Tax Benefit Part A.
A paying parent providing below regular care can’t get our Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A or other family payments.
A paying parent who provides regular care will pay less child support.
A paying parent who provides regular care can’t get FTB Part A or other family payments from us.
They may be able to get other help like Rent Assistance and a Health Care Card. They may also be able to get a higher income support payment.
A paying parent who provides shared care will pay less child support.
Both parents may get family payments from us. They may be able to share FTB Part A.
A parent who provides primary care doesn’t have to pay child support.
This is care for more than 86% of the time.
A parent who provides more than primary care doesn’t have to pay child support.
If you provide more than primary care you can receive 100% of any FTB Part A.
If the way you share care for your child changes, contact us as soon as you can. We may need to change your care percentage and child support payments.
Generally, we’ll backdate an increase to your care in the assessment if you tell us within 28 days.
Child support won’t be paid to a parent under a child support agreement if they have less than 35% care. The child support agreement may end or suspend for the child if this occurs.
Read more about the effect of care changes on your binding child support agreement or limited child support agreement.
If we change your child support payments, we may also change your FTB Part A or other family payments. We’ll let you know if this happens.
Read more about when care arrangements change.