NSW Does Child Support Also Include Child Care Fee?

[me8901]

Hi, I am new here and hope someone can please help answer this for me.

Does child support payment also include child care fee?

Mum has 100% care, dad has visitation rights.

2-years-old daughter attends child care 5 days a week. It is about $850 a month out of mum's pocket after rebate and FTB. The question is, besides the child support that mum receive from dad, is mum allowed to ask dad to pay 50% of child care fee which is $425 a month?

Or what is the right thing to do?

 

[Rob Legat - SBPL]

Mum is allowed to ask. Dad is not obligated to pay any more than what is assessed by Child Support Agency (CSA). Anything extra come down to a private arrangement with the other parent.

The amount assessed for child support is supposed to cover all the 'ordinary' expenses like housing, food, clothing, school etc. This would include ordinary child care fees.

Application can be made to CSA for an increase under special circumstances. This covers 'out of the ordinary' type things such as travel necessities if the parents live far away from each other, special medical expenses (eg braces, operations), particular agreements between the parents such as schooling at an agreed school, or special care necessary due to disease or disability.

You can also arrange with the other parent to directly pay some prescribed expenses and have an amount credited against your child care liability (such as school fees, child care, medical/dental).

 

[sammy01]

mum has 100% care? Then it is mum's choice to put the child in care... If the mum chose to buy the kid an ice-cream should dad pay for half of the cost of the ice-cream?

100% care means exactly that and child support attempts to make a financial correction for the parent with majority care because kids are expensive. The Child support legislation does have a provision for a primary carer to seek additional payments based on educational needs etc BUT That relates more to private schools than pre-school.

Dad should not pay 50% of pre-school fees.

 

[AllForHer]

Dad isn't obligated to pay anything outside of child support (except where an application is made for special circumstances like those provided above).

If you want to reduce the cost of rearing a child, perhaps you could talk to dad about taking the child more often.