What Does Child Support Cover in Australia?

Child support is designed to contribute to the ordinary, everyday costs of raising a child — not to settle every specific expense. The assessment produces one periodic payment. It does not automatically answer who pays for school fees next term, the orthodontist, or a school laptop program. Understanding that distinction is one of the most important things a separated parent can do.

What the Formula Is Designed to Cover

The Services Australia child support formula estimates what it costs to raise a child in Australia using research-based expenditure tables published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. These tables cover what families typically spend across ordinary, recurring household costs — not exceptional or high-cost items.

The assessed amount tries to split that estimated spend between the two parents based on their incomes and how much care each parent provides. It is not a per-expense reimbursement system. There is no requirement for the receiving parent to account for how the payment is spent.

Everyday Living Expenses

The formula is built around average family spending patterns. The costs it generally assumes include:

• food and groceries, including school lunches
• everyday clothing and footwear
• housing and utilities attributable to having a child
• basic transport to school and everyday activities
• personal care items and haircuts
• a modest allowance for low-cost recreation and hobbies

What the everyday cost tables do not capture is anything out-of-the-ordinary or high-cost. That is where disputes usually start.

Does Child Support Cover School Fees?

If a child attends a non-government school, the fees are generally treated as an extra expense that sits outside the assessment. Parents are expected to negotiate how to split those fees separately — either through a private agreement or, if they cannot agree, through a formal change-of-assessment process under the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989.

Even for government schools, costs such as camps, excursions, subject levies, and laptop programs are typically not covered by the assessed amount and need to be negotiated.

If you enrolled your child in private school post-separation without the other parent's agreement, seeking contribution from them is a much harder argument. Courts look closely at whether major schooling decisions were joint decisions.

Does Child Support Cover Medical and Dental Expenses?

The formula includes a basic allowance for routine medical and dental costs — standard GP visits covered by Medicare, routine dental check-ups, and standard prescriptions. These are treated as ordinary costs of raising a child.

What falls outside the formula are significant or unexpected medical costs, including:

• orthodontics — braces can cost $5,000–$10,000 after private health rebates (as of 2026)
• specialist consultations, especially where bulk billing is not available
• ongoing allied health treatment — physio, OT, speech pathology
• psychological or counselling services
• surgery or major procedures not fully covered by Medicare

When calculating the actual cost of a medical extra, account for Medicare safety net benefits, private health rebates, and any other offsets. Services Australia and courts look at the net out-of-pocket cost, not the gross figure.

Uniforms, Devices, and Extracurricular Activities

School uniforms

Basic clothing is part of ordinary child costs. Compulsory branded school uniforms — particularly expensive private school sets — are often treated as extras, especially when the cost is significant.

Laptops and devices

Many schools now have compulsory laptop or tablet programs. These costs are not captured in the formula. If a device is school-compulsory, a parent seeking contribution has a reasonable case.

Extracurricular activities

Competitive sport, music tuition, dance classes, and tutoring are all extras. The formula only assumes modest general recreation. Registration fees, equipment, travel to competitions, and lesson costs sit outside the assessed amount.

Mobile phones

A basic phone for a child travelling to school independently might be a practical case for cost sharing. A high-end device with a premium plan is a harder argument.

The Two Layers: Formula Amount vs Extras

It helps to think of child support obligations in two layers.

The first layer is the assessed amount. This covers everyday living costs. The paying parent meets this obligation through the periodic payment. The receiving parent has discretion over how it is spent.

The second layer is extras — significant costs outside the formula. Whether they contribute, and in what proportion, depends on whether the parents can agree informally, what any agreement says, or what a formal variation or court order determines.

A common mistake is assuming the assessed amount covers everything. It does not. If a child has significant school fees, ongoing allied health needs, or is enrolled in competitive sport, those are separate conversations.

How Parents Can Handle Extra Expenses

Informal agreement

Many parents agree by text, email, or conversation on how extras will be split — often 50/50 or proportional to income. This works well when the co-parenting relationship is cooperative. The downside is that it is unenforceable.

Limited child support agreement

A written agreement signed by both parents that can vary or add to the assessed amount, including provisions for specific extras. Both parents need to agree to it but neither needs legal advice.

Binding child support agreement

A more formal agreement where each parent obtains independent legal advice before signing. It can modify the assessment significantly and is harder to change later. Useful in high-conflict situations where certainty matters.

Change of assessment

Family court

As a last resort, the court can make orders about specific expenses. Courts look at what is in the child's best interests, the parents' respective financial positions, and whether the expense is necessary and reasonable.

Realistic Examples

Example 1 — Private school fees

Jess and Marcus separated when their daughter was 8. Before separation, they had enrolled her in a private school with $12,000 annual fees (as of 2026). Marcus pays assessed child support of $620 per month. He argues this covers his contribution to her education. Jess argues the assessment does not touch private school fees. Both are partly right. The assessment covers ordinary education costs — private school tuition is an extra. If they cannot agree on a split, Jess can apply for a change of assessment under Reason 3. The likely outcome is that Marcus will be required to contribute to fees given the school was a joint decision, but the exact split will depend on income and circumstances.

Example 2 — Orthodontics

Tom's son needs braces — $7,500 after the private health rebate (as of 2026). The assessed amount Tom pays covers ordinary medical costs. Orthodontics are an extra. Tom and his ex agree to split the cost 60/40 in line with their income ratio and document this by email. This is a practical, cooperative outcome that avoids any formal process.

Example 3 — Competitive sport

Amir's daughter plays competitive soccer. Annual costs — registration, boots, travel to tournaments, uniforms — add up to about $2,200 (as of 2026). These are extras outside the assessment. Amir and his ex cannot agree. Because the daughter has played continuously since before the separation and both parents supported it, Amir applies for a change of assessment under Reason 3 — high costs of caring for or training a child in the manner both parents expected. Services Australia may vary the assessment to account for a portion of those costs.

What to Do Next

If you have just received your assessment and are working out what it means for your family, start here:

• Understand your assessment number. Use the calculator to see how income, care percentage, and the number of children have been factored in.
• Identify your extras. Make a list of the significant costs in your child's life that are not basic living expenses. These are the costs you will need to negotiate separately.
• Try to agree informally. A written agreement by email on how extras are split is the quickest and cheapest outcome.
• Consider a formal agreement. If the situation is complex or the relationship is high-conflict, a limited or binding child support agreement gives both parents more certainty.
• Apply for a change of assessment if warranted. For school fees or education costs, apply under Reason 3 (high costs of educating the child in the manner both parents expected). For a child's disability or medical needs, apply under Reason 2 (special needs of the child).

Authoritative Sources

• Services Australia — Child Support — official formula, assessment, and payment information.
• Australian Institute of Family Studies — the expenditure research underpinning the costs of children tables.
• Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia — financial matters for children, including court orders for specific expenses.