1.4.3.20 Frequently asked questions – care
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I have care of my child exactly half of the time – why does my child support assessment (1.1.C.70) show I have 49% or 51% care?
A parent’s (1.1.P.10) care percentage (1.1.C.20) is, in most cases, based on the number of nights they care for the child over a 12 month period. If the parent provides care for 50 per cent of the time, their care percentage is calculated by dividing the number of nights in a year (365 nights in a standard year) by two which results in 182.5 nights. Child support (1.1.C.60) legislation requires care percentages must be rounded to a whole number. If the percentage is less than 50 per cent, it is rounded down to the nearest whole number, and rounded up if it is greater than 50 per cent. This is why care percentages will be recorded as 49 per cent and 51 per cent where the care is shared equally between the parents. Please note that the lower percentage can be recorded for either parent.
Each parent’s care percentage is then converted to a cost percentage according to the Cost percentages (1.1.C.200) table. The cost percentage represents the proportion of the child's costs the person meets directly through care (1.1.C.10). For parents who have between 48 per cent to 52 per cent of care, their cost percentage is 50 per cent. Therefore, regardless of whether a parent has 51 per cent or 49 per cent care, the cost percentage for both parents is 50 per cent.