How Much is Child Support in Australia?

Child Support Payment Ranges

Child support amounts vary significantly based on income and circumstances. Here's what you can expect:

Based on Services Australia data, the average child support payment in Australia is approximately $5,000-$8,000 per year. However, this average includes:

Average Child Support Payments

Your payment will likely differ from the average based on your specific circumstances.

Child support increases with income, but not linearly. The formula considers your income after deducting the Self-Support Amount ($31,046 in 2026).

How Income Affects Child Support

Care percentage significantly reduces child support. The more care you have, the less you pay (or the more you receive).

Child support increases with more children, but each additional child adds less than the previous one due to economies of scale.

How Care Arrangements Affect Payments

Notice how 2 children don't cost twice as much as 1 child. The formula recognizes that some costs (housing, utilities) are shared.

The minimum child support payment is $1,815/year ($151/month) for 2026. This applies when:

How Number of Children Affects Payments

There's no strict maximum, but payments plateau for very high incomes. The Costs of Children table caps at around $250,000 combined income, after which additional income has minimal impact.

Minimum and Maximum Payments

Frequently Asked Questions