Child support in Australia is governed by a single national scheme. It does not differ from state to state. There is no separate system for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, or any other state, and there is no state-based child support calculator.
The rules that determine how child support is assessed, collected, and enforced are set out in federal legislation and applied uniformly across the country. The parent’s state or city of residence does not affect how much child support is payable.
Why child support is a national scheme
Australia’s child support system is established under the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989, a Commonwealth law. This legislation sets out a single statutory formula that applies nationwide and authorises one agency, Services Australia, to administer the scheme.
Because child support is a federal responsibility, states do not create their own rules, formulas, or assessment methods. Services Australia applies the same law, the same income thresholds, and the same cost tables for every assessment, regardless of where the parents live.
This is different from countries such as the United States, where child support laws vary by state. In Australia, the intention was to create consistency, predictability, and equal treatment across the country.
The role of Services Australia
Services Australia is the national agency responsible for administering child support. It calculates assessments, collects and transfers payments, applies minimum and fixed rates, reassesses amounts when circumstances change, and enforces unpaid liabilities.
Although Services Australia operates service centres in each state and territory, these offices do not apply state-based rules. They are simply local access points for a nationally administered program. A parent dealing with Services Australia in Melbourne is subject to the same rules as a parent dealing with Services Australia in Perth or Hobart.
Why location does not affect the calculation
The child support formula is based on income and care, not on local living costs. The assessment takes into account:
- Each parent’s taxable income
- The number and ages of children
- How care is shared between parents
The formula uses national cost-of-children tables and nationally indexed thresholds. It does not adjust for differences in rent, housing prices, or cost of living between states or cities.
This means that two parents with the same incomes and care arrangements will receive the same child support assessment, whether they live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, or a regional area.
Related: How Child Support is Calculated
Courts and private agreements
Child support assessments themselves are not made by courts. They are calculated administratively by Services Australia using the statutory formula.
Parents can enter into private child support agreements, such as limited or binding agreements, but these options are also authorised under federal law and operate within the same national framework. Registering or enforcing an agreement does not create state-based variation in how child support works.
Family law proceedings may involve courts, but this does not change the underlying child support formula or the fact that assessments are governed by Commonwealth legislation.
Finding your local Services Australia service centre
Many child support matters can be managed online or by phone. In practice, some parents find that attending a Services Australia service centre in person can help resolve issues more efficiently, particularly where an account is delayed, documents need to be reviewed, or changes have not been actioned correctly.
Services Australia operates service centres, access points, agents, and mobile service centres across Australia. You can use the official Services Australia service centre locator to find the nearest location based on your suburb or postcode.
State-based explanation pages
People often search for child support using state or city terms. The pages below explain how the national child support scheme applies in each state, including how to access services and where to go for help, without implying that the law or calculation changes.
- Child support in New South Wales
- Child support in Victoria
- Child support in Queensland
- Child support in South Australia
- Child support in Western Australia
- Child support in Tasmania
Estimating child support
If you want to estimate child support based on your own income and care arrangements, use the Child Support Calculator. It applies the same statutory formula used by Services Australia for standard administrative assessments.
