3 Children Calculator

How Much Child Support for 3 Children?

Use this three-child scenario when you need an estimate that accounts for the 3 or more children costs table and each child’s age.

Three-child assessments often feel harder to predict because the formula moves into the 3 or more children costs table. The estimate can shift quickly when one child is older, care differs between children, or one parent’s income is much higher. This page is for parents who need a focused 3-child calculator scenario, not a general explanation of child support.

Quick answer

For 3 children, Services Australia uses the 3 or more children costs table, then adjusts the result for income share and care. In the example below, with Parent A earning $120,000, Parent B earning $70,000, and Parent A having 52 nights per year, Parent A pays about $16,659 per year, or $1,388 per month.

Worked example

This Formula 1 example uses three children with mixed ages and no relevant dependants, other child support cases, or non-parent carer.

Inputs

  • Assessment year: 2026
  • Children: 3 children, aged 6, 10, and 14
  • Parent A adjusted taxable income: $120,000
  • Parent B adjusted taxable income: $70,000
  • Parent A care: 52 nights per year
  • Parent B care: 313 nights per year

Result

  • Parent A child support income after the self-support amount: $88,954
  • Parent B child support income after the self-support amount: $38,954
  • Combined child support income: $127,908
  • Parent A income percentage: 69.55%
  • Parent A rounded care percentage: 14%
  • Parent A cost percentage: 24%
  • Costs of children: $36,572.03
  • Estimated annual payment: $16,658.56
  • Estimated monthly payment: $1,388.21

What changes the result

  • Three children move the estimate into the 3 or more children category of the costs table.
  • Mixed ages matter because a 3-child case can include under-13 and 13+ children in the same assessment.
  • Enter each child separately if care differs between children or one child is older than the others.

Calculate your 3-child estimate

Enter each child separately so the calculator can account for ages, care nights, and the 2026 3 or more children costs table.

Calculate child support for 3 children

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

How much child support do you pay for 3 children?

There is no single 3-child rate. The formula uses both parents’ incomes, care nights, the children’s ages, and the 3 or more children costs table.

Is the 3-child rate different from the 2-child rate?

Yes. The costs of children table has a separate category for 3 or more children. The total cost is higher than the 2-child table, but it is not simply one extra child added at the same rate.

What if one of the 3 children is 13 or older?

Older children can change the costs of children figure. A mixed-age 3-child case may be assessed differently from a case where all children are under 13.

Does the formula change for 4 children?

The costs table uses a 3 or more children category, so 3-child and 4-child cases share the same broad table category. Other factors, including care and multi-case rules, may still change the result.