What does Child Support Cover the cost of?

[MeganH]

Im just wondering what Child support is supposed to cover the cost of. They say general living expenses. So does this include clothing, school, kindy, sports, school uniforms etc? Will child support increase when the child starts school to cover the costs of schooling and uniforms? Ive been asking XP to pay half for the extra activities eg. kindergym, dancing classes and dance shoes etc but he complains and goes on about that he doesnt "HAVE" to pay for them. Ive said that if he wants them to be able to do these extra things he should help pay. So anyway, wondering what comes under general living expenses.

[Butterfly Child]

id like to no this to.. i atm only get 16.50 a fortnight for cs for my dd.. and havent ever spent a cent of it, i have put it in an account for her or for when shes older and we may need it for her.

Getting back on topic i think everyday expenses would be like what you said food/clothing/ school things i would think would be included in that imo

[Lulu]

It's based on his/your income. NOt activities etc.

Some parents will pay half for that stuff, some won't but I'm pretty sure that isn't 'general or living ' expenses.

[briggsy's girl]

child support is to support the basic needs of the children, based on the incomes of both "homes" - some families will have a mum doing it tough, dad on big income, so a large amount of child support. some will be the other way around, and no child support will change hands. the calculation takes into account how much time the children spend with each parent, the income of both parents and all that stuff. it's not supposed to cover a certain expense - it's there to "support" the children based on the means of the parent paying child support

[MeganH]

Wow Elocin, my XP only pays $100 a week for 3 children, but that is based on our last estimate which was fairly low, he has now had a promotion and a payrise and is doing alot more overtime.

[~clover~]

That will change after the financial year when his tax is done then. You can ask CSA to reassess his income though I think

[Elocin]

Wow Elocin, my XP only pays $100 a week for 3 children, but that is based on our last estimate which was fairly low, he has now had a promotion and a payrise and is doing alot more overtime.

Wow is certainly one word for it... DH is on a great wage at the moment and with his Ex having been on maternity leave for so long, the amount has hovered around $200 a week for the last couple of years.

Once she lodges her next tax return, it should go down.

Wow is certainly not the words I use trust me

(Especially when we had taken the girls away with us for a week, the Ex called DH and asked him to put the CS money into her account a couple of days early because she needed to buy a cot for her new baby... sadly, I'm not joking...)

BG, we have been told that the amount has nothing to do with 'household income' as such - only DH's and the Ex's income, is this correct? I personally that it should take household income into account, because my DSD's life are certainly better off that both households have 2 incomes, but DH has been told numerous times that the amount won't change no matter what I or the Ex's DP earn.

DH has also been told that the amount of time the girls spend at each house IS NOT taken into account... which I have always found odd...

Sorry for taking over your thread MeganH!!!

[briggsy's girl]

i can't remember the exact calculation - but basically if there are two homes (as there generally are) an amount for "accomodation" is taken out of their income before child support is calculated. there is a reduction to the amount of child support payable if the payer has the children more than (i believe) 14% of the time. it's the most messy calculation...

your income as such doesn't come into it - it is only his - but there is more to it in regard to other dependents and all that. really really messy!

[Cupcake]

DH has also been told that the amount of time the girls spend at each house IS NOT taken into account... which I have always found odd...

Ours is...we have 28% shared care of DSD and should that percentage go down our rate that we pay her mother would increase..and vice versa, if we had her more our rate would decrease.

Maybe get DH to double check CSA have the correct care % down ... sorry bit OT

MeganH your ex doesnt have to pay more then calculated by CSA but as the other ladies have said, if he wishes his daughter to participate in those after school activities then he should contribute. Guess it comes down to what kind of relationship you have with him now, friendly or not?

[~clover~]

I think it depends on how much you get. If your X in on centrelink payments, CS is only about $25 or something a month, so I guess it wouldn't cover much. A pack of nappies?
Some people get alot more though & because when CS goes up your centrelink payments go down, then it would go to other things like food & rent.
I think its your choice where it goes. But thats only the amount he's entitled to pay. He doesn't legally have to pay any extra at all. Even for activities.

[Elocin]

TBH, I don't really know...

We pay DH's ex $200 a week and have the girls half the time. We also pay for half of ALL school fees, uniforms, sporting (netball, gymnastics), physio appts / optomotrists appts etc. If the girls need clothes for our place, we buy them and they must stay at our place.

I don't really know what 'living expenses' are classified as... although I can certainly tell you that we don't spend $200 a week on the kids.

The amount you receive is calculated on your's and your Ex's yearly income, so it won't change when your LO's start school - unless obviously, your / his income does. DH's ex is going back to work next month after nearly 3 years on Mat Leave, so our payments will (hopefully) go down.

Sorry, I haven't really been much help at all have I?

I do agree with what you say though - that if he wants the kids to do all the 'extra' things that he should help pay for them... I don't begrudge having to pay for things like netball and gymnastics, because it gets the girls out of the house and into the fresh air.

[Persephone1]

Peg is correct. Nobody has to like it (and most people don't), but it's not about what is morally correct or what it "covers."

If a payee pays their calculated CS, there is no legal obligation to pay a cent more - even if that means the CS paid doesn't cover the ballet lessons, shoes, school fees, clothes etc. Don't get me started on how many complaints I hear about this. And trust me when I say, just as many fathers as mothers complain. CSA is a bureacracy like any other, and the formulas they apply have no basis in what is morally correct or what is best for the child.

(I purposely don't practice in CS law, cause it's awful).

[Melly01]

Not really the same situation, but.. how would you feel if your employer asked you to itemise exactly what you spend your money on? What if you were doing something they didn't agree with and told you to spend your money how they wished? No, you aren't her employer, but the principle is similar, if your son is being cared for and he has everything he needs, then anything else is none of your concern. Not meaning to be harsh, but once the money leaves your account, it ceases to be any of your business. If your son is alive and well then that is the main thing. You choose to pay her extra, which you are not required to, so maybe you need to think about that. Maybe if you told her you would only be paying what is legally required of you, then she would have to learn to live with it and need to rethink her spending habits.

My ex used to only pay between $12 & $20 a month, and he went almost 2 years with paying nothing at all. It is a little better now, with more reasonable payments that take into account what we are both earning. So I view the child support as something to either use to get things he may need on short notice, put away for DS's future, or to use to treat us both because there have been times when I have had to go without what I needed in order to be able to cater to DS's needs or wants. I have never bothered talking to the ex about it because he has made it clear that he doesn't care and it just causes tension.

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[mmalek]

Im just wondering what Child support is supposed to cover the cost of. They say general living expenses. So does this include clothing, school, kindy, sports, school uniforms etc? Will child support increase when the child starts school to cover the costs of schooling and uniforms? Ive been asking XP to pay half for the extra activities eg. kindergym, dancing classes and dance shoes etc but he complains and goes on about that he doesnt "HAVE" to pay for them. Ive said that if he wants them to be able to do these extra things he should help pay. So anyway, wondering what comes under general living expenses.

Hi,
I've joined this site, and hence discussion because I would like some advise regarding child support payments etc before I seek advice from a solicitor.

My partner pays his ex wife $300 a fortnight. This includes the child support amount calculated by Centrelink plus childcare fees, school fees and half of the fees for things like ballet and swimming. The problem I have is as follows:

My partner's children live with us HALF THE TIME. During that time, we pay for all expenses incurred. I have been on maternity leave this year and as such, our disposable income has been very minimal. The ex wife, on the other hand has enough spare cash to take the children to Beyonce concerts, One Direction concerts, trips to Disney Land etc. She may also be found regularly jetting off for 'girls' weekends' away. I don't understand why we must pay child support when WE HAVE THE CHILDREN HALF THE TIME. The life they get with their mother is far more materialistically amazing due to the fact that she has FAR more disposable income - a large part of which comes from OUR pockets every week.

I understand that a more or less equal lifestyle should be had with both parents and for this reason do not understand why we are forced to pay this woman such a ridiculous amount of money. Being the higher income earner in our family, I am MORE than happy to pay for half of the children's activiites and school fees. I just don't understand why someone else's holiday fund is being subsidised by us, particularly when my own children are constantly going without because we have to ensure we pay this parasite her $300 a fortnight.

What does child support actually cover?

My understanding is that the child support amount calculated by Centrelink includes dental, medical, school fees etc. Could someone please confirm this for me.

[Jellyfish]

I think it is difficult to even know what the money is spent on for those spending it when you're trying to break it down to a specific source of income. I know I don't keep money separate, money comes in and money goes out.

When we buy things for my DD1 I don't think to make sure it was 80% from her bio dad and 20% from us as is our determined percentage from centrelink. If we did we would be buying a whole lot less because the amount centrelink determines to be spent on a child is very basic.

I don't spend a lot on myself (or maybe I do, depends who is looking if you know what I mean, I'm sure somebody could build the case that I do if they were trying to) but if I did I would be thinking well, isn't it in the child's best interests for their parents to also be looked after too? A parent who is stressed and frazzled with nothing for themself doesn't seem ideal. I don't know, just try to look at it all contributing to their life, their parent is a part of that.

It is the same as how I can't take an audit of the time DD1 spends with her bio dad to make sure it is spent how I'd deem appropriately, that is his responsibility to determine once she is in his care just as how it is my responsibility to figure out how to spend the money once it is in my care. If you don't trust somebody enough, push for more care percentage so you become the one more responsible for the decisions but if you're trusting them with your kids then it seems it should follow you can trust them with the money for them...

[mmalek]

I think it is difficult to even know what the money is spent on for those spending it when you're trying to break it down to a specific source of income. I know I don't keep money separate, money comes in and money goes out.

When we buy things for my DD1 I don't think to make sure it was 80% from her bio dad and 20% from us as is our determined percentage from centrelink. If we did we would be buying a whole lot less because the amount centrelink determines to be spent on a child is very basic.

I don't spend a lot on myself (or maybe I do, depends who is looking if you know what I mean, I'm sure somebody could build the case that I do if they were trying to) but if I did I would be thinking well, isn't it in the child's best interests for their parents to also be looked after too? A parent who is stressed and frazzled with nothing for themself doesn't seem ideal. I don't know, just try to look at it all contributing to their life, their parent is a part of that.

It is the same as how I can't take an audit of the time DD1 spends with her bio dad to make sure it is spent how I'd deem appropriately, that is his responsibility to determine once she is in his care just as how it is my responsibility to figure out how to spend the money once it is in my care. If you don't trust somebody enough, push for more care percentage so you become the one more responsible for the decisions but if you're trusting them with your kids then it seems it should follow you can trust them with the money for them...

THanks for your reply.
I agree with what you are saying and I wish it were so easy. I wouldn't begrudge paying this money if I knew it were being spent appropriately and that we weren't 'doubling up' on payments. My ex husband pays me around $30 a week to care almost full time for my two children (he has them on the weekends). It is my understanding (morally and legally) that this money is calculated by centrelink to pay for things like school fees, uniforms, dental and medical. I do not ask him to contribute anything more. We then contribute $300 a fortnight to a woman who is living a better lifestyle than we are so that she can care for her children only 50% of the time. We pay child support, half of all extra curricular activity fees and then an extra weekly amount to cover school fees, dental and medical. I don't get it.

[fionas]

Look, I think the short answer is that you pay child support. You don't have to pay half of all the other stuff, there is really no obligation on your part to do so, it's at your discretion. It's really as simple as that. Some parents would, some wouldn't.

[mmalek]

Look, I think the short answer is that you pay child support. You don't have to pay half of all the other stuff, there is really no obligation on your part to do so, it's at your discretion. It's really as simple as that. Some parents would, some wouldn't.

THanks.