Key takeaway: Child support in Australia is calculated by a formula administered by Services Australia, based on both parents' incomes, the cost of children, and the percentage of care each parent provides. It can be self-managed by agreement or collected by the agency. It generally continues until the child turns 18, and is separate from spousal maintenance.
What is child support?
Child support is a financial contribution toward the costs of raising children whose parents have separated. The system is administered by Services Australia — Child Support, and the underlying principle (supported by family studies research) is simple: both parents share responsibility for supporting their children financially, in proportion to their capacity and the care they provide.
Child support questions tangled up with parenting arrangements? Mediation can resolve both together.
Book a free consultation →How is child support calculated?
The standard formula takes into account:
- Both parents' taxable incomes (with a self-support amount set aside for each)
- The cost of children, based on research-derived figures
- The percentage of care each parent provides
- The number and ages of the children
The result is an assessment of how much one parent pays the other. Because it's formula-based, child support is more predictable than spousal maintenance — but the inputs (especially income and care percentages) can still be the subject of dispute.
How care arrangements affect it
The percentage of care each parent provides directly affects the assessment — more care generally means paying less (or receiving more), because you're already meeting costs directly. This is why child support and parenting arrangements are closely linked, and why resolving them together through mediation makes sense.
Self-managed vs agency collection
Parents have options for how child support is handled. You can reach a private agreement and manage payments yourselves (self-management), enter a formal child support agreement, or have Services Australia assess and/or collect payments. Many parents prefer a private or agreed arrangement where the relationship allows it — mediation can help you build one that's fair and durable.
When does child support stop?
Child support generally continues until a child turns 18. It can end earlier in certain circumstances, and in some cases support for a child completing their final year of school can be extended past 18 on application. Adult child maintenance (for example, for a child with a disability or in tertiary study) is a separate, limited category.
Disagreeing about child support or care levels? We'll help you reach a fair, lasting arrangement.
Book a free consultation →Resolving child support disputes
Disputes often arise over income (especially where someone is self-employed), care percentages, or special circumstances the formula doesn't capture. There are formal review processes through the agency, but many disputes are resolved faster and with less conflict through child support mediation — particularly when they're bound up with parenting arrangements.
Child support vs spousal maintenance
Keep the two separate in your mind: child support is for the children's costs and is formula-based; spousal maintenance is for an adult former partner's own support and is assessed on need and capacity. They can apply together or independently.