Under the Child Support (Assessment) Act, and also at general law, regardless of the time parents spend with their children, parents have a legal duty to financially support their children. The amount of Child Support payable is based on a statutory formula set out in the Child Support legislation. This formula takes into account factors including:
In certain circumstances, this formula assessment may be varied to take into account individual circumstances of parents and children. The Child Support arm of the Department of Human Services administers the Child Support Acts. Information about the Child Support system is available on the Department of Human Services' website.