Parents need to work out how they will continue to pay for their children’s food, housing, clothes, school costs and other activities and expenses after separation. The money, or in kind payments, paid by one parent to the other (or to someone else if the children do not live with a parent) is called child support or child maintenance. Sometimes one parent makes these payments to the other even if the children are living part of the time with the paying parent.
Child support may apply to all parents whether married, in a de facto relationship, never lived together, never had a relationship, and also may include same-sex parents.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS) CHILD SUPPORT
The DHS Child Support is a government agency that looks after child support payments, works out how much child support should be paid and this is called an administrative assessment.
The administrative assessment takes into account factors such as:
- the number of children involved,
- the age of the children,
- the parents’ income and
- the level of care each parent provides for the children.
Once an administrative assessment is made by the DHS Child Support, parents are free to arrange private payment of this sum. The person entitled to receive the child support payments can also ask the DHS Child Support to collect these payments on their behalf. It is a good idea to have the DHS Child Support collect if a parent or carer of the child believes the other parent will not or may not pay.
If you require more information, contact our office Lynn & Brown lawyers on 93753411, to make a time to see one of our family lawyers.
