If you’re looking for a child support lawyer, Cudmore Legal can help you.

What is child support?

Child support is a payment that one parent can pay to another parent if the parents have separated and their children are under 18 years old.   

Child support is not intended to cover all the costs of providing for your children: separated parents often have to agree to other arrangements for children’s costs, including school fees, medical treatments, and extra-curricular activities like weekend sports and club memberships. In some circumstances, parents can have some of these costs offset against the child support they are required to pay.

Child Support

Does child support apply if we weren’t married?

Parents do not have to be married (or previously married) to be eligible for receiving or responsible for paying child support. 

What if we can’t agree on child support?

If parents cannot agree to the amount of child support to be paid, either parent can apply to the Child Support Agency (a division of the Commonwealth Department of Human Services) which can assess and enforce child support.

What factors does the child support agency take into account?

There are a number of factors that are considered by the agency when determining whether one parent should pay the other parent child support, and the amount of child support to be paid.  These factors include the living arrangements for the children (including who the children usually live with and the amount of time the children live with the other parent), the income of both parents, and whether the parents also have financial responsibility for other children from other relationships. 

What about other payments I receive?

Child support is completely different from any payments you might receive (or have to make) as part of the property settlement matters you and your ex-partner may need to resolve when you separate.

What can a child support lawyer do for me?

Child support is a complex area of family law, but there are other options if you and your partner want something more detailed in place to protect you both, instead of a simple assessment based on your respective incomes and the children’s living arrangements.