What does Child Support Cover the cost of?

[briggsy's girl]

do you show your ex where your money goes?

no one needs to justify how they spend their CS (or their wages, or anything else) - how do you know your ex isn't putting the CS straight into rent and food, and spends her "income" from parenting payment on stuff for herself, what business is it? as long as the children are provided for/not neglected (ie, they have a roof over their head and food in their bellies...). ftb and CS are to help the family unit - parenting payment is essentially HER income (as your wages are yours) - and if she wants to fritter it away paying for a mani, so be it. parents (in all family structures) work damn hard, and sometimes they need to do something to pamper themselves. for you it might be a box of beer on pay day, for her a mani ever six weeks...

if you have an issue, you can speak to child support about turning a PORTION of your liability into a non-cash payment - so goes directly to their schooling or something - but it has to be agreed to by both parties.

[Inanna]

You could ask her Knight? But the fact is the CSA work out how much you are deemed to be responsible for financially & that's what you pay.

Personally I keep a spreadsheet - because I wait in hope for the day that my ex husband wants a run down on my children's costs... I suspect your expartner would be just as eager to let you know where it all goes. Having said that - it's her business and not yours. That money is what is decided by the CSA using their calculations.

It is known that it costs much less being a non residential parent than it did when you all lived unhappily together! Why? Not sure about that - I guess to facilitate your right to be able to create another family down the track.

Being a single Mother doesn't mean we walk around looking scraggy. Personally I haven't looked better! Not because I spend hours at the nail bar each week - but because I feel better about myself and this shows on the outside.

What I think is that you wish her well, know she is your child's mother and loves him with every fibre of her being and that together you created him. Sending her off in love is far more beneficial to everyone than getting antsy over where every cent is spent...

[~clover~]

BG & Inanna, couldn't agree more.

Sorry Knight, but she has every right to get her nails done. I can guarantee you that the amount of money she puts into rent/food/phone/electricity/clothes/shoes etc is a much bigger percentage of her income than your child support is of your's.

Its cheaper & easier if you have friends who know what they're doing as well, & they can do your hair & nails etc.

[knight]

Im not saying she cant enjoy life but what i am saying is i think it would be good to know how my sons money is spent on him as this money is not hers its for my son she dosnt need or would i even expect to know where her personal money goes , as we both have him for the same amount of time and its hard to understand where the money is spent ( i pay alot of money each week to him not just pocket change ) yet still am always asked for more ( which i give as i hope its in my sons best interest ) , i find it hard to understand as my new partener only gets about $10 a week to raise the same age child going through the same situation ( schooling , rent ,food , etc ) , just trying to understand how things work

Just for the record i have no problem paying what ever money to raise my child , i think its fair to know where the money goes as alot of people seem to miss understand that this money is not for the "other" parent to boost there income its for the welfare of the child as raising a child is a joint effort

[~clover~]

Then your new partner would be getting more from the government for her child & her ex partner would be on a lesser wage. Or the dole.
The more you pay your ex, the more the government takes out of her family payments, which is given to her for BOTH of them to live on. So the less she gets from the government, the more of the child support she's going to have to use to live on.


ETA - its up to you if you give your partner any extra, & mostly shows the type of father you are IMO. There are alot of men who don't even bother to pay what they have too..

[knight]

This is where it all get tricky with my partener as she works and earns just over the set amount from the government ( which is not alot each week ) and gets bugger all from the government doing the sums she is alot better not even working at all , as i cant see how if she was halving the costs of raising a child how $20 a week would cover it ,whats the average cost of raising a child? but thats a whole other topic

[~clover~]

Well the amount of CSA your ex gets works the same way. Its classed as income.

[Inanna]

Knight - I am a single parent. I am a professional - I only say that because I need you to realise I understand what it means to earn a "good" income.

My exhusband earns over 150K per year. I get not a great deal in FTB a & b. Because of my child support. Unlike yourself my exhusband will not pay for schooling & I wouldn't even consider asking for more for extra activities as I know what the answer would be - and I am too proud to hear a no... That is my issue.

Whatever you pay helps your child. It doesn't matter where it goes. It helps put a roof over his head, sheets on his bed, a bed, clothes, water, heating, electricity, gas and telephone, internet, a school bag, lunch etc.

I am sure you are really earnestly seeking information. But I really think it's a done deal. You are not together. You pay xYz. That's it. Trust it goes to help your child. If you start questioning where it will really not help the relationship between you - most women would want to rip your throat out being asked that question... The best gift you can give your son is a functioning relationship with his mother - there is no money that can measure that.

[knight]

Tust me i know what agood income is i earn a little less than that,so you would know how much money changes hands in that amount but its not about the money its where it goes that i wonder about

i agree with parts of what was said this my sons first year of school so this is the first time of schooling etc for me and i will do what ever to make his schooling as good as i can , i still wont bugde on being able to know where the money goes but i guess there is no way of knowing by the answers here , not asking for a detailed description just a rough idea where all the little extra money is spent if its for his books etc i think that is apart of building a relationship with his mother ( a so called happy one for him ) as it would help to be able to work together on buying things as we dont live close buy each other and brings me more involved with his schooling

The same would be for his child care if its spent on rent , food etc i would be happy , every one that buys an item knows what there money buys/pays for (bad example but simular idea ) so from what i have read here i should just pay what i have to and not worry where it goes and not bother giving any more than i have to and spend that money on him while he is with me , even though i would rather pay extra expensives

thanks all for your imput i guess its a dead end being able to know how the money is spent

[Inanna]

I think Knight from my perspective my ex husband is a whole lot more financially better off without me. This is the case with most men that I know. It is just absurd to ask her where all the money goes. You have to pay it. So you do. That's the criteria. You're not together, it's worked out this is what you pay. So you pay it.

As for extras - I don't know as my partner would never pay extra - he should but he wouldn't. And I prefer a peaceful life so I don't pursue it!

[misty]

Im not saying she cant enjoy life but what i am saying is i think it would be good to know how my sons money is spent on him as this money is not hers its for my son she dosnt need or would i even expect to know where her personal money goes , as we both have him for the same amount of time and its hard to understand where the money is spent ( i pay alot of money each week to him not just pocket change ) yet still am always asked for more ( which i give as i hope its in my sons best interest ) , i find it hard to understand as my new partener only gets about $10 a week to raise the same age child going through the same situation ( schooling , rent ,food , etc ) , just trying to understand how things work

Just for the record i have no problem paying what ever money to raise my child , i think its fair to know where the money goes as alot of people seem to miss understand that this money is not for the "other" parent to boost there income its for the welfare of the child as raising a child is a joint effort

You child has a roof over their head, food in their tummy, clothes on their back, electricity to run their TV, computer, lights, Gas to heat their oven, fuel to run their car, etc, etc - unless this is being provided to your ex free of charge by someone else: this is where you childsupport is going. And I can garuantee you that is doesn't even cover the smallest portion of it all. Children's living expenses are EXPENSIVE. And that is just the basic stuff, not the extras like sport, excursions, treats, etc.

I am not a single parent. My DH and I have a household income - some of it from him, some of it from me, some of it in the form of FTB. It doesn't matter where the money is coming from, we need to pay the bills first, buy the groceries, fill the car - if there is any left over, then we may spend it on extra's: but we don't stop to sort out which exact dollar was paid to who, by which entity (work, FAO, etc). Because it doesn't matter. It is all the same cash pool.

Just to give you an idea of costs associated with raising a child on a weekly basis:
Nappies and wipes - $20 p/w
Groceries - Approx. $50 per child per week (minimum).
fuel (directly for childrens benefit, cost of running to school, to doctors, to buy groceries for them, etc - I can honestly say the car is for the benefit of the child(ren) at least 60-90% of the time) - $50 p/w
Rent / mortgage (child needs to sleep somewhere) - depends on where they live; but without kids I can garuantee you they could live somewhere smaller and thus cheaper.
clothing (kids grow fast) - about $500 (minimum) per annum; approx 10p/w - If they attend school you can easily add another $300p/a for school uniforms and school shoes, or more.
Electricity, gas, water rates - kids use and benefit from all these things.

Children are not cheap, and childsupport barely even begins to sctrach the surface of what they cost just to raise at the barest minimum standard.

[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.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[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.

[mmalek]

Im not saying she cant enjoy life but what i am saying is i think it would be good to know how my sons money is spent on him as this money is not hers its for my son she dosnt need or would i even expect to know where her personal money goes , as we both have him for the same amount of time and its hard to understand where the money is spent ( i pay alot of money each week to him not just pocket change ) yet still am always asked for more ( which i give as i hope its in my sons best interest ) , i find it hard to understand as my new partener only gets about $10 a week to raise the same age child going through the same situation ( schooling , rent ,food , etc ) , just trying to understand how things work

Just for the record i have no problem paying what ever money to raise my child , i think its fair to know where the money goes as alot of people seem to miss understand that this money is not for the "other" parent to boost there income its for the welfare of the child as raising a child is a joint effort

I think that is COMPLETELY fair!
I get $26.00 a week in child support from my ex husband to care for our two daughters 5 days a week. I pay for all activities, school fees, clothes etc. I do not ask my ex husband for more money to cover any of these things because I believe that child support is there for this reason. My partner, on the other hand pays $300 a fortnight to his ex wife when we have his children HALF THE TIME!!!!!!! We pay for half of the ballet fees, swimming fees etc. We even pay an extra amount each week to cover any additional things like dental etc.

DOES CHILD SUPPORT NOT COVER THESE THINGS???????

If you want to know where your money is going, I think you have every right to do so.

[fionas]

I'm a single mum receiving child support from my ex. It's a good amount and he always pays on time. The way I see it, swimming, ballet, etc. etc. are all discretionary items. Yes, nice to give the kids activities but it's a choice. I don't ask my ex to pay half, I pay that myself. If I can't afford it, they don't get to do it or we find some way of cutting back on other stuff.

However, I know my ex's financial situation and I know he has a hefty mortgage. If he had more disposable income, I may ask him to contribute.

[~clover~]

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.

[nothing2lose]

My dd no longer sees her biological father. Regardless, i get no child support. If she did see him and I worked fulltime I would have to pay child support to my ex. This is despite the fact I have sole parental responsibility and he would only see her fortnightly and half school holidays.

That is after not receiving anything from him - either officially or unofficially - at all since she was three. She is now 11 1/2.

I wouldn't begrudge the money your partner contributes towards the upbringing of his children.

[Amity]

I also get nada for my two kids - one of whom needs specialist treatment for behavioural difficulties. I pay for everything. And he's in the legal field (as am I).

However, CSA (not Centrelink) assessments are based upon each parent's income - so your income is not taken into account at all. When he had your child added to the assessment, it would have gone down somewhat. Further, ensure that your assessment has the right income for each parent and the right care percentages so that the assessment itself is correct. He is also entitled to support you during the Childbirth Maintenance Period.

In your case, I'd suggest you get independent legal advice from an accredited specialist who has a working knowledge of the Child Support system and its intricacies.

Best wishes.