Weekly pattern
2 nights per week ≈ 104 nights per year.
- Rounded care percentage
- 28%
- Care band
- Regular Care
- Cost percentage
- 24%
This is regular care: enough nights to receive the 24% cost percentage, but below the shared-care threshold.
Nights to care percentage
Care Percentage Calculator Australia: Nights to Child Support Band
Convert overnight care into the care percentage, Services Australia band, and cost percentage used in child support calculations.
Once you know the percentage, use the shared-care calculator for 35%-65% care for broad shared care, the 50/50 child support calculator for exact equal care, or read the 50/50 care and child support guide.
- Updated for 2026
- Free, no sign-up
- Uses Care and Cost table
- Works from nights per year
How to calculate care percentage from nights
annual overnight care ÷ 365 → rounded care percentage → care band → cost percentage
Count the child's annual overnight care, divide by 365, then apply the Services Australia Care and Cost table. This calculator estimates the care percentage, care band, and cost percentage from the nights you enter.
Care estimator
Build your care year from real overnight dates
Care period
The estimator counts 365 nights from the selected start date.
Current period: 2 Sep 2026 to 1 Sep 2027
Recurring overnight pattern
Every 2 weeks: Fri, Sat
Manual calendar
Toggle dates to add one-off nights or remove exceptions from the recurring pattern.
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September 2026
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October 2026
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November 2026
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December 2026
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January 2027
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February 2027
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March 2027
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April 2027
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May 2027
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June 2027
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August 2027
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What Is Care Percentage?
Care percentage is the proportion of nights each parent has the child, calculated over a full year (365 nights). It is one of the most important inputs into the child support formula — it directly determines your cost percentage, which is the share of child-raising costs Services Australia expects you to cover.
If your children follow the same care pattern, use one estimate for that group. If different children have different overnight patterns, run the estimator separately for each child or group of children.
A higher care percentage means a higher cost offset, which reduces the child support you pay (or increases what you receive). Even small changes in care can have a big impact on the final payment — moving from 127 nights to 128 nights crosses a band boundary and changes your cost percentage from 24% to 25%.
If the nights are exactly equal, the 50/50 care and child support guide explains why a payment can still apply. For the estimate itself, use the 50/50 child support calculator.
Official Care and Cost Table
Services Australia converts care percentage into cost percentage using the Care and Cost table. The shared care range is not one flat band: 35-47%, 48-52%, and 53-65% each have a different cost rule.
| Care percentage | Nights per year | Nights per fortnight | Care level | Cost percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-13% | 0-51 | 1 | Below regular care | 0% |
| 14-34% | 52-127 | 2-4 | Regular care | 24% |
| 35-47% | 128-175 | 5-6 | Shared care 35-47% | 25% plus 2% for every percentage point over 35% of care |
| 48-52% | 176-189 | 7 | Shared care 48-52% | 50% |
| 53-65% | 190-237 | 8-9 | Shared care 53-65% | 51% plus 2% for every percentage point over 53% of care |
| 66-86% | 238-313 | 10-12 | Primary care | 76% |
| 87-100% | 314-365 | 13-14 | More than primary care | 100% |
Source notes: Services Australia publishes this table in the Basic child support formula Care and Cost table. Its related guidance explains how percentage of care affects child support payments.
How Care Percentage Affects Child Support
The child support formula calculates a "cost of the children" based on combined parental income. Each parent's share of that cost depends on two things: their income percentage and their cost percentage (which comes from care).
Your child support percentage is your income percentage minus your cost percentage. If your income share is 60% and your cost share is 24% (regular care), your child support percentage is 36% — meaning you pay 36% of the cost of the children. Without any care credit, it would be 60%.
Key threshold
Moving from "below regular care" to "regular care" (crossing the 52-night threshold) creates the single biggest change in child support payments. Going from 51 nights to 52 nights gives you a 24% cost offset where you had 0%.
How to Count Nights for Care Percentage
Services Australia counts a "night of care" as a night where the child sleeps at your home (or is otherwise in your care overnight). Here's what to include:
- Regular overnights — weeknight and weekend stays as per your agreement
- School holidays — all overnight stays during school holiday periods
- Public holidays — Christmas, Easter, and other public holiday stays
- Special occasions — birthdays, family events where the child stays overnight
- Trips away — any trip where the child is in your care overnight counts
Daytime-only contact does not count toward care percentage. The child must stay overnight with you for it to be counted.
Evidence if Care Is Disputed or Changing
Services Australia may ask for evidence if care is disputed or changing. You do not need to send evidence to AusChildSupport, and you should not send sensitive records through this website.
Depending on the issue, useful records may include:
- care diary or calendar
- parenting plan or court order
- school/day-care records
- travel records
- health records where relevant
- written communications such as texts or emails where appropriate
The calculator still only estimates the care percentage from the nights you enter. Services Australia decides the formal assessment care percentage, including disputed-care and date-of-effect questions. Check its Services Australia change-care instructions and the DSS disputed-care guidance before relying on records for an official decision.
Worked Examples: Counting Care Nights
These examples show the counting step only: convert the actual overnight pattern into annual nights, then apply the rounded care percentage and cost percentage. They are not a full child support assessment.
Alternate weekends plus holidays
Alternate weekends: 2 nights x 26 weekends = 52 nights.
Add 24 school-holiday nights and the total becomes 76 nights for the year.
- Rounded care percentage
- 20%
- Care band
- Regular Care
- Cost percentage
- 24%
Holiday nights are added to the regular pattern because care percentage is counted across the whole 365-night year.
Threshold example: why one night can matter
The rounded care percentage can cross a Care and Cost table boundary when one extra overnight is added. That is why 127 vs 128 nights matters, and why 175 vs 176 nights matters near equal shared care.
| Annual nights | Rounded care | Care band | Cost percentage | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | 34% | Regular Care | 24% | last night in regular care |
| 128 | 35% | Shared Care | 25% | first night in shared care |
| 175 | 47% | Shared Care | 49% | top of the 35-47% shared-care row |
| 176 | 48% | Shared Care | 50% | moves into the 48-52% shared-care row |
Caveat: this estimates care percentage from the nights entered. Services Australia decides the care percentage used in a formal assessment, including cases where care is changing or disputed.
Common Questions About Care Percentage
How do I calculate my care percentage for child support?
Count the total number of nights per year your child stays with you — including regular nights, weekends, and school holidays. Divide that number by 365 and multiply by 100. For example, 120 nights ÷ 365 = 32.9%, which falls in the "Regular Care" band.
Does care percentage include school holidays?
Yes. Care percentage covers the full 365-day year. If your child spends 2 weeks of school holidays with you, that's an extra 14 nights toward your total. Many parents underestimate their care percentage because they forget to include holiday time.
What happens if my care percentage changes?
Tell Services Australia as soon as possible if care arrangements change. If the change is reported within 28 days, child support is generally adjusted from when care changed. If it is reported later, the date can depend on the direction of the change: increased care is usually recognised from when Services Australia is told, while decreased care may be recognised from when care changed. If you're considering changing care arrangements, use this calculator to see how it would affect your band.
This calculator does not decide disputed care. Services Australia decides the care percentage used in an assessment, and disputed-care cases can involve interim care rules, written arrangements, parenting plans, court orders, evidence, and review rights.
What is the difference between care percentage and cost percentage?
Care percentage is the raw proportion of nights (e.g., 120 nights = 33%). Cost percentage is the dollar offset Services Australia applies from the Care and Cost table (e.g., 33% care = 24% cost offset). They are related but not the same number — the cost percentage changes at band boundaries and within parts of the shared care range.
Sources for care-change rules
For reporting mechanics, see Services Australia: change of circumstances for child support and Services Australia: advise change of care arrangements. For date-of-effect and disputed-care policy detail, see DSS Child Support Guide 4.1.5: care determinations and changes in care and DSS Child Support Guide 4.2: disputed care and interim care rules.
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