Australian Child Support Formula 1-6 Calculator Examples
Worked examples for all six formula pathways, with exact inputs, annual results, calculator evidence and DSS source links.
Open Australian Child Support Formula 1-6 Calculator ExamplesSkip to guidance
Reference Library
Guidance, arranged by subject.
A complete collection of plain-English child support resources for Australian parents.
Searching all 17 resources. Search covers titles, descriptions, subjects and related terms.
General information explains common topics.An AusChildSupport Estimate is indicative.A Services Australia Formal Assessment determines an official amount.Individual advice comes from an appropriate professional.
AusChildSupport explanations
17 resources across all subjects
Formula and Estimates
Understanding how a child support figure is worked out and what an estimate can show.
Estimate vs Assessment: What the Difference Means
How an indicative calculator estimate differs from an official Services Australia assessment, and why the figures may not match.
Open Estimate vs Assessment: What the Difference MeansHow Child Support Is Calculated in Australia: The 8-Step Formula
A plain-English walkthrough of all 8 steps Services Australia uses to calculate child support, with worked examples.
Open How Child Support Is Calculated in Australia: The 8-Step FormulaThe Cost of Children Table: 2026 Rates Explained
The statutory table that determines the dollar cost of raising children at different income levels. Updated for 2026.
Open The Cost of Children Table: 2026 Rates ExplainedCare arrangements
Guidance about care patterns and the way changes can affect child support.
When Care Arrangements Change: How Child Support Is Recalculated
How a changed care pattern may affect child support, when to report it to Services Australia, and what an Estimate can and cannot do.
Open When Care Arrangements Change: How Child Support Is RecalculatedIncome and financial circumstances
Resources about income, estimates and financial circumstances used in child support.
Child support and self-employment in Australia
A plain-English guide to adjusted taxable income, business circumstances, income estimates and Change of Assessment for self-employed parents.
Open Child support and self-employment in AustraliaChild Support on Centrelink Income Support: Complete Guide
On JobSeeker, DSP or Parenting Payment? Learn when the 2026 minimum rate applies, when payments can be reduced to nil, and what changes when your income rises.
Open Child Support on Centrelink Income Support: Complete GuideIncome Estimates: How to Lodge One and What Happens at Reconciliation
When to lodge a current-year income estimate, how it affects your assessment immediately, and what reconciliation means at tax time.
Open Income Estimates: How to Lodge One and What Happens at ReconciliationWhat Income Does Services Australia Use for Child Support?
Adjusted Taxable Income explained: what's included, what add-backs apply, and why your ATI can differ from your take-home pay.
Open What Income Does Services Australia Use for Child Support?Assessments and reviews
Information about assessment changes, review grounds and the processes around them.
Change of Assessment Reason 8: Income, Earning Capacity and Resources
Reason 8 explained for income, earning capacity, property, financial resources, evidence, and common risks.
Open Change of Assessment Reason 8: Income, Earning Capacity and ResourcesChange of Assessment: Process and Reasons
When a Change of Assessment may apply, what evidence matters, and how the Services Australia process works.
Open Change of Assessment: Process and ReasonsAgreements and payments
Resources about payment collection, private agreements and the costs child support may help cover.
Private Child Support Agreements: Binding vs Limited
How binding and limited child support agreements work, what legal advice is required, and when a private agreement makes sense.
Open Private Child Support Agreements: Binding vs LimitedPrivate Collect vs Agency Collect: Which Is Right for You?
The difference between managing payments yourself and having Services Australia collect on your behalf — and when to switch.
Open Private Collect vs Agency Collect: Which Is Right for You?What Does Child Support Cover?
How ordinary child support helps meet the costs of raising a child, how the formula works, and when agreements or separate processes may matter.
Open What Does Child Support Cover?Getting official or professional help
Starting points for formal processes and situations where professional help may be useful.
Child Support Help: Where to Start
Where to start with Services Australia, legal advice, financial advice, financial counselling or safety support.
Open Child Support Help: Where to StartNew to Child Support: What to Expect
What happens when you register for child support, how the first assessment works, and what to do if the other parent doesn't cooperate.
Open New to Child Support: What to ExpectWhen Does Child Support End?
When child support usually ends, what can happen at age 18, and the limited circumstances in which support may continue.
Open When Does Child Support End?Official sources
Publisher materials for official rules and processes
These publisher materials are separate from AusChildSupport’s general explanations.
Commonwealth of Australia · Legislation
Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989Federal Register of Legislation · Annual Notice
Registered 2026 Costs of the Children Table NoticeDepartment of Social Services · Guide
Child Support GuideServices Australia · Administrative assessment
Child support assessment