However, if one parent is receiving Child Support payments as assessed by the Child Support Agency, at law, the cost of school uniforms is covered in their Assessment of Child Support and the receiving parent is responsible for purchasing those items as and when required.
You can also apply to Child Support to have spending recognised. Only certain types of expenses are eligible, including School uniforms and text books, Child care payments, Medical and dental expenses, School fees, Housing expenses such as rent, and Motor vehicle costs. Special circumstances.
The parent caring for the child will know, and it is commonly accepted amongst family lawyers and Judges that the amount paid in child maintenance does not stretch that far. Things such as school uniforms, school trips and extra-curricular activities are not classed as 'basic needs'.
What Does Child Support Not Cover in Australia? The child support amount in Australia is usually insufficient to fund costs such as extracurricular activities, private tuition fees, private health insurance and additional costs due to a child's special needs.
Services Australia will make a child support assessment that includes provision for school fees, but if either parent wishes to educate their child at a private school, the calculation becomes more complicated.
Child maintenance payments are designed to cover the costs of a child's living expenses such as food and clothes, not school fees. These payments can be agreed by the parents themselves or by mediation, without involving the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).
In most cases, the payment of school fees is separate to that of child maintenance payments.
Child maintenance payments are designed to cover the everyday needs of the child such as food, clothing and housing. School fees are not usually covered under child maintenance, but a family-based arrangement can be created to cover this.
Child maintenance is designed to pay for a child's needs, for example food, clothing, and housing. It is however a nominal sum - ie the receiver does not have to submit receipts or justify what they spend the money on.
2. It's unfair to hard-working parents. Australia's child support formula is generally unfair to parents who earn a good income. Every dollar that's given to one parent because they have a lower income is a dollar taken from the main financial contributor.
Maintenance payments are intended to be used in the best interest of the child and to cover the child's expenses. This may include shelter, food, clothing, childcare costs and any educational needs.
Unfortunately, the answer is usually “no”. If the non-resident parent is paying child maintenance in accordance with the relevant child maintenance guidelines, there is no obligation on them to provide additional financial support to cover the cost of clubs and other activities.
IF I PAY CHILD SUPPORT, DO I STILL HAVE TO BUY MY KIDS CLOTHES? THE SHORT ANSWER IS, YES.
School uniforms are nearly always on the list of items included in tax-free weekends. Layering those additional savings with your uniform purchase can help reduce the cost even further. Even at a regular price, school uniforms can save you money in the long run.
In addition, uniforms eliminate “competitive dressing,” which ought to reduce levels of conflict and distraction. As a result, kids are less likely to misbehave, and more likely to focus on learning. These claims have intuitive appeal.
That is because the Child Maintenance Service don't look at what the child maintenance is for (for example, to help pay the mortgage, gas, electricity and food bills as well as to pay for the school uniform, haircuts and all the other child related expenditure that parents incur).
Contacting the Child Maintenance Service
You're normally expected to pay child maintenance until your child is 16, or until they're 20 if they're in school or college full-time studying for: A-levels. Highers, or. equivalent.
Are Gifts Paid For With Support? Child support is not meant to compensate for your share of holiday presents. If your family celebrates the holidays this time of year, you and your ex-spouse must determine how much to spend on gifts.
At the end of June 2022, the CMS was managing 608,800 arrangements for 560,900 Paying Parents. There has been a 9% increase to the number of arrangements since the end of June 2021.
This includes things like food and clothes, and helping to provide a home for your child or children. As well as the bare necessities, child maintenance can cover; childcare. activities like swimming lessons.
Child maintenance payments
If shared care happens for an average of one night a week or more (at least 52 nights a year), this can affect the amount of child maintenance. The more nights that the child stays overnight with the paying parent the less child maintenance is due.
A parent could be ordered to pay all of the fees or to contribute towards the school fees. The court will decide how much a parent should pay toward school fees based on both parent's respective incomes and reasonable outgoings.
Assuming you're on the basic rate, you'll need to pay: 12% of your gross weekly income for one child. 16% of your gross weekly income for two children. 19% of your gross weekly income for three or more children.