mmalek - if your ex is paying more than his share of child support, like half ballet fee's etc, then that is HIS CHOICE! No one is forcing him to do that. But any father who cares about his child will happily offer to help out with these things.

Does his ex work? Does she have an income of her own she could also be using to fund these trips? Child support is based on BOTH parental incomes as well as percentage of care. So the amount your partner pays will be reduced depending on the amount his ex earns. It is to help with the EVERY DAY raising of the child/ren. If a parent chooses to help with extra things, then that to me is a bloody good parent who gives a rats!

Have you informed CSA that you have 50/50 care? If not then maybe you should? If you have, then there's not much you can do. Every CSA case is based on the same percentage of income, then other factors are taken into consideration. It works out equal for everyone as long as everyone is honest & paying their share.



I get nothing. I have 4 children. My rate is a pathetic $114 a week & I haven't received a cent in almost 2 years. I guess that means I have the right to ask what my ex is spending MY child support on... you think he'll tell me?

As far as I know, no, child support only helps with every day expenses. Rent, food, nappies etc. Extra curricular activities, dental, specialists etc don't come into it. Specialists etc are things you can ask courts to put in parental orders, to be paid on top of child support, because they are not every day expenses. Not all children only need basics necessities to survive.

Thanks for your reply. As stated, I do not have any problem with paying half the cost of extracurricular activities. I only wish to know what it is that child support payment actually covers. I understand that when the mother has primary care of the children, the father is required (and should) pay towards the childrens' upbringing. Our case is that we have the children exactly half the time.

I understand that there is a formula centrelink uses and I know that this is fair. That being said, I just want to know what it is that we are actually required to pay extra towards.

If child support is supposed to cover public school fees, medical and dental, then I want to know this as at present, we are paying child support PLUS half of school fees, medical and dental.

I just feel like we are being ripped off.