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Unjust Child Support Assessments: A Child Support Lawyers Guide

The Child Support Assessment Act allows the Registrar to change a child support assessment if the assessment of child support results in an unjust and inequitable level of financial support being paid. Child support lawyers can challenge a child support assessment on limited and specified grounds which can include:

  1. The circumstances of either parent’s income, property or  financial resources
  2. The earning capacity of either parent
  3. The costs of contact for either parent
  4. The expenses of the child or children including in some circumstances their education expenses

Some of these grounds are considered below.

1. Income, Property and Financial Resources

A common issue concerning the income, property and financial resources of a parent is when the income of one parent is significantly higher or lower than the amount recorded in the actual assessment. [...]  READ MORE →

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Child Support Lawyers can help to challenge your assessment

If you are unhappy with your child support assessment, your child support lawyers can apply to the Registrar for a change of assessment in special circumstances. Although the Child Support Act does not define the meaning of ‘special circumstances’, the Family Court indicates that something special or out of the ordinary is required: Gyyselman and Gyselman (1992) FLC 92-279. The Registrar only has the power to make a change of child support assessment for 10 discrete reasons. These are:

  1. The costs of spending time with or communicating with the child(ren) are more than 5% of your adjusted taxable income amount
  2. The child(ren) has special needs
  3. There are extra costs in caring for, educating or training the child(ren) in the way both parents intended
  4. The child(ren) has income, a earning capcity, property and/or financial resources
  5. You have provided money, goods or property for the benefit of the child(ren)
  6. The costs of child care for the child(ren) under 12 years of age has changed
  7. You have out of the ordinary, necessary expenses to support yourself
  8. The assessment does not correctly reflect one or both parent’s income, property, and/or financial resources or the assessment does not correctly reflect one or both parent’s earning capacity
  9. You have a duty to support another person
  10. You have a responsibility to support a resident child(ren)

Child support lawyers can assist you in your application to explain why the assessment should be changed. Details of any additional costs to yourself should be explained including the amount and who the costs are for. Further, child support lawyers can assist you in your application to estimate and state exactly how much increase or decrease to your annual rate of child support you believe would be a fairer outcome. [...]  READ MORE →

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Child Support Lawyers Advice – Changing Child Support Agreements

When making child support decisions, separating parents have the choice of applying to the Department of Human Services (DHS) for an administrative assessment, or they can make a private agreement between themselves with the assistance of their child support lawyers. But what happens if a party disagrees with the assessment; or if a party wishes to alter an assessment due to change of circumstances?

Appealing a administrative assessment made by the DHS

If you do not agree with an assessment made by the DHS, you may be able to make an objection. Objecting to a decision takes the form of a formal review. [...]  READ MORE →

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Child Support Lawyers Advice to Separating Parents

When individuals with a child or children separate, there is more to consider than just the needs of either party; it is vital to ensure that the needs of the children are protected, this is where Child Support Lawyers may be of assistance. Child Support Lawyers are able to assist separating parties to work through appropriate arrangements for the future financial maintenance of the parties’ child or children. Child support is a payment by one of the parents to assist the other with the cost of looking after the parties children who are under the age of 18 years old, unless other factors cease the payments earlier. [...]  READ MORE →

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Child Support Lawyers

Parents going through a separation may be required to pay child support. This may involve a payment being made by one or both parents to the other to help with the cost of looking after the children.

The child support assessment process is administered by the Australian Government, Department of Human Services (“DHS”). A parent may make an application to DHS for a child support assessment. DHS would take into account a number of factors including the income of each parent and the percentage care of the child or children. A change to the circumstances of each parent or of the child can change the calculation of child support. This can be a significant source of conflict. [...]  READ MORE →

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Child Support Lawyers advice for Children over 18

Financial assistance for children under 18 is usually by way of child support. For children over 18, child support lawyers  may be able  to provide advice to determine if financial assistance usually by way of child maintenance will be suitable.

How do child support lawyers and the Court assess child maintenance 

Child maintenance orders for children over 18 are made at the Court’s discretion and in consideration of the threshold test and capacity to pay.

Section 66H requires the Court to;

  1. Consider the financial support necessary for the maintenance of the child; and
  2. Determine the financial contribution towards the financial support necessary for the maintenance of the child, that should be made by a party.

(a) Financial Support Necessary

In determining the financial support necessary the Court considers a variety of matters under section 66J of the Act. [...]  READ MORE →

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The Role of Child Support Lawyers

Child support is an issue likely to transpire for parties separating with children. It is the way in which separated parents address their financial responsibility to their children.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines child support as:

“Cash or in-kind payments towards the financial well-being of children. These payments are usually made by the non-resident parent to the parent who has primary care of the children.”

What is the Child Support Agency?

The agency is a Government Human Services department that has the primary role of registering, assessing and collecting payments. [...]  READ MORE →

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Effect of Discharge of Bankruptcy and Child Support Debt

After a discharge from bankruptcy, child support lawyers can apply to the Registrar to recover the child support or maintenance debt relating to the period before the bankruptcy.

The bankrupt may apply to court for a specific order discharging him or her from all or part of the surviving debt including child support, or child or spousal maintenance debt. The Registrar will not discharge the child support or maintenance portion of a registered child support debt unless the court has made an order for this. [...]  READ MORE →

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Third Party Debtors in Family Law

Persons owed money by another person under an order of the Court or child support liability can enforce payment of the debt in the Family Court. One of the methods that child support lawyers  can use to enforce debts is a Third Party Debt Notice. Under this Notice the Court directs a third party to pay money that the third party owes to the respondent to the payee instead of the respondent.

Typically, the third party is an employer of the payer or a bank or building society where the payer has money in an account. When served with a Third Party Debt Notice, any money that you owe to the payer is affected by the Notice. This could be: [...]  READ MORE →