Do You Need A Child Support Check Up?

By Amanda Humphreys, Special Counsel, MST Lawyers

Australia’s child support scheme which is administered by the Child Support, Department of Human Services, is complex.  An administrative assessment of child support governs most families’ child support arrangements. This assessment is calculated using a complicated government imposed statutory formula. 

Few parents have an understanding of exactly how their family’s rate of child support is determined and what factors can impact their child support calculation.  Many others are not aware that a child support assessment can be changed if one or more specific special circumstances contemplated by the child support scheme applies.

Changes in child support legislation (including recent changes in 2018) may also have an impact on the payment of child support.

Accordingly, it is likely that many families’ child support assessments do not correctly reflect the current situation or special circumstances that may apply to the family.

MST Lawyers has significant expertise with child support matters, ranging from:

• Child support assessments;
• Change of assessment applications;
• Objections to child support determinations;
• The collection and enforcement of child support arrears;
• Departure prohibition orders and departure authorisation certificates;
• Binding and limited child support agreements;
• Applications to set aside child support agreements;
• Applications to the AAT for the review of child support determinations;
• Departure applications, applications for lump sum and non-periodic support, and other court applications in relation to child support;
• The registration, collection and enforcement of overseas child support and child maintenance obligations;
• Applications for child maintenance orders for parents and/or children living in countries which do not have reciprocal child support arrangements with Australia.

The MST Lawyers Family Law team is pleased to offer “child support checkups”.  Our experienced solicitors will review your child support situation (whether pursuant to an informal arrangement, administrative assessment, child support agreement or court order) to ensure your family’s child support arrangements are appropriate as well as assess the potential for options to address any of your child support concerns.

If you have not reviewed your child support situation recently, do get in touch in with our Family Law team for a “child support checkup” by email or call +61 3 8540 0200. We happily arrange Skype and telephone appointments for our interstate and overseas clients, accommodating time differentials where required.