Short answer: for most low-income parents, the real minimum child support payment in Australia is the fixed annual rate, not the “minimum rate.”
The terminology used by Services Australia is loose and often misunderstood. While the law contains multiple low-rate provisions, only one of them operates as the normal lower bound in real cases.
Quick reference (2026)
Fixed annual rate (usual minimum):
$1,825 per year per child (about $152 per month)
Minimum annual rate (rare and must be approved):
$551 per year
Calculated payment (shared care cases):
Any amount, including $0, depending on income and care levels
Real minimum for most parents: fixed annual rate
In practice, the fixed annual rate is the amount most people mean when they ask about the “minimum child support payment.”
This rate applies per child and is charged to parents who:
- have a low taxable income or receive income support, and
- have less than shared care of the child.
Shared care is reached at 128 nights per year (35% care). Until that point, the fixed rate applies automatically in most low-income cases.
For this reason, the fixed annual rate functions as the normal lower bound of child support for low-income payers.
Minimum annual rate: technically lower, but rare
The minimum annual rate is technically the lowest rate in the legislation, but it is not the normal minimum.
To be assessed at this rate, all of the following must be true:
- the payer has a very low taxable income,
- the payer did not receive income support at any time during the year, and
- the payer successfully applies for an exemption using the prescribed form.
This is an important nuance. It is not enough to be “off benefits now.” If income support was received at any point during the relevant period, the minimum annual rate is generally unavailable. It is unusual for a person not to receive benefits but then go through an onerous process to receive a child support discount.
Because most genuinely low-income parents either receive income support or have received it recently, this rate applies only in unusual and tightly constrained situations.
When child support can be lower or nil
There is one broad situation where child support can fall below the fixed annual rate or reach $0.
This occurs when the payer has shared care or more (at least 128 nights per year).
Once shared care is reached:
- the fixed annual rate no longer applies, and
- child support is calculated under the normal formula.
In these cases, the result depends on the relative incomes of both parents and the exact care split. If incomes are similar, or the payer’s income is very low, the calculated amount can be small or nil.
This is not a special exemption. It is simply the formula operating once the fixed rate is ruled out by care levels.
Why the fixed rate is the number that matters
Although the law contains multiple low-rate mechanisms, only one applies broadly and predictably.
The minimum annual rate exists mainly as a discretionary exception. The fixed annual rate is what actually captures most low-income payers with limited care.
For this reason, when parents ask:
“What is the minimum child support payment in Australia?”
The correct, practical answer is:
The fixed annual rate per child, unless shared care applies.
Key takeaways
- The minimum annual rate is not the normal minimum.
- The fixed annual rate is the effective floor for most low-income payers.
- To go below the fixed rate, a payer usually needs shared care.
- Nil assessments are possible, but only through the normal formula once shared care is reached.
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