Child Support Lawyers Cairns

Expert Family Lawyers in Cairns

Trust our family lawyers in Cairns to help you understand the law regarding child support, and achieve the best outcome for your family. We can help you by:

• liaising with the Department of Human Services (Child Support) on your behalf
• negotiating payment arrangements with the other parent if they owe money
• facilitating a private child support agreement between you and the other parent
• representing you at the Tribunal or in court.

Contact our family lawyers for expert advice in an obligation-free initial consultation.

Child support agreements: the law

A Child Support Agreement is essentially a contract that allows parents to formalise arrangements for the financial support of their children. Both parents have a legal duty to financially support their children until they turn 18 (and sometimes even after that).

There are different ways that a parent can pay child support. The amount can be determined privately or by Child Support through the Department of Human Services.

The most common payment is one where the amount is determined by Child Support. We recommend that you contact Child Support as soon as possible after you separate to find out how much child support you can get, or how much you may need to pay. Alternatively, you can make a private, unwritten agreement with the other parent, or you can make a written agreement together that is then lodged with Child Support.

Remember that in addition to regular payments, child support can also involve the payment of school fees, medical expenses, extracurricular activities, or lump-sum payments.

Arrange an appointment with one of our family lawyers to make sure your children are getting the support they’re entitled to.

The different categories of child support

There are three different categories of child support:

1. Periodic payments: regular payments of money made by one parent to another.
2. Non-periodic payments: occasional payments made by one parent that is usually for a specific purpose, such as school fees.
3. Lump-sum payments: payments of a specified amount. The lump-sum may be a cash payment, or can even be a transfer of property. The lump-sum value must be equal to or greater than the annual child support liability as assessed by Child Support.

For help to determine what suits you best, or to resolve child support issues, contact our family lawyers in Cairns for an obligation-free initial consultation.