Are child support payments compulsory?

For a parent to be paid above the base rate of Family Tax Benefit A, ‘reasonable action’ to obtain child support must be taken. This means that if the children are in the care of a parent for more than 30% of the time, an application must be made to the Child Support Agency for a child support assessment. Once the assessment is made, Family Tax Benefit A is paid using this child support assessment as an estimate of additional income.

An application may be made to Centrelink for an exemption from applying for a child support assessment if there is a reason why this cannot occur.

If a parent applies only for the base rate of Family Tax Benefit A, or for no Benefit, they do not need to apply for a child support assessment.