The Guides to Social Policy Law is a collection of publications designed to assist decision makers administering social policy law. The information contained in this publication is intended only as a guide to relevant legislation/policy. The information is accurate as at the date listed at the bottom of the page, but may be subject to change. To discuss individual circumstances please contact Services Australia.

4.3.4 FL Act orders affecting a child support assessment

Context

Orders under the FL Act may affect a child support assessment.

Act references

FL Act section 66M, section 69VA

CSA Act section 5, section 106A

On this page

The following is an explanation of how the Registrar will interpret FL Act orders that affect the assessment of child support:

Orders in relation to step-children

A child support parent's step-child can be considered to be their relevant dependent child (CSA Act section 5) if the child support parent has at least shared care of the step-child and there is an order in force under FL Act section 66M (or Family Court Act 1997 section 124 in Western Australia) in relation to the child support parent and the step-child. The inclusion of a relevant dependent child means that a parent has an amount recognising their support of the child deducted from their ATI before calculating child support.

To obtain an order under section 66M a person must be a step-parent to the child, that is, they must:

  • not be a parent of the child
  • be or have been married to, or be or have been a de facto partner of, a parent of the child, and
  • treat, or at any time during the marriage or de facto relationship have treated, the child as a member of the family formed with the parent (FL Act section 4).

In making an order under section 66M the court has to take into account:

  • the objects and the principles of the FL Act
  • the length and circumstances of the marriage to, or relationship with, the relevant parent of the child
  • the relationship between the step-parent and the child
  • the arrangements for maintenance of the child, and
  • any special circumstances which would result in injustice or hardship to any person.

If a child support parent is providing financial support for a step-child and neither of the child's biological parents is able to provide financial support for the child due to death, ill health or caring responsibilities, the parent may have grounds for a change of assessment under the CSA Act. See 2.6.16 for more information.

Declaration that a person is a parent of a child

If parentage is in issue in proceedings under the FL Act, a court can require evidence and make a conclusive declaration about parentage (FL Act section 69VA). A declaration under section 69VA will satisfy the Registrar that a person is a parent of a child if an application is made for a child support assessment.

If the Registrar has refused to accept an application for an assessment because no proof of parentage was available and the court later makes a declaration under FL Act section 69VA, the parent can make a new application for child support using the declaration under section 69VA as proof of parentage. A declaration under FL Act section 69VA does not mean that the Registrar is taken to have accepted the original application for child support.

If the parent has obtained an order under CSA Act section 106A, the Registrar may be taken to have accepted the original application for child support. See 4.3.2 for more information on declarations under CSA Act section 106A.

Orders about where a child will live & with whom the child will spend time

This topic is covered in 2.2.1 and 2.2.4, which describes how and when these orders are used to determine a percentage of care for a parent or non-parent carer.

Last reviewed: