What is child support?

Child support is payment by one parent to the other parent for the financial support of a child or children.

Child support can be assessed by the Child Support Agency based on a legislative formula as long as at least one child was born on or after 1 October 1989. Otherwise a court order or court-registered agreement is necessary.

In some circumstances child support can also be arranged by agreement between the parents, without a formal assessment.

Child support can be collected informally as a private agreement between the parents, or through the Child Support Agency, where the agency collects the money and transfers the payments. In some instances arrangements can be made for part of child support payments to be made to cover items such as school fees, or other services.