Child Support in Queensland
Child support in Queensland is administered by Services Australia. Parents can apply for an assessment, manage payments and report changes to income or care through myGov, the Express Plus Child Support app or by phone.
How Child Support Works in Queensland
Child support assessments for Queensland parents are calculated using a national formula administered by Services Australia under the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989.
The assessment is based on:
- Each parent’s adjusted taxable income
- The number and ages of children
- How care is shared between parents
The same inputs produce the same result whether a parent lives in Brisbane, regional Queensland or another state.
Queensland does not have a separate child support calculator. You can use the Child Support Calculator, which applies the same formula used by Services Australia.
Contact, Opening Hours, and Online Account Help
Queensland residents can call the Services Australia Child Support enquiry line on 131 272. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:45 pm. There is no separate child support number for Brisbane or regional Queensland.
Other phone services and details on how to find a Services Australia service centre in Queensland are listed on the Child Support Agency Contact page.
Most routine tasks can be managed online through myGov and the Express Plus Child Support mobile app. Services Australia’s Child Support online help guides explain how to update income, report changes in care, upload documents and manage payments.
Centrelink
Child support and Centrelink are both administered by Services Australia, but they are separate programs. Child support deals with financial support between parents, while Centrelink relates to income support and family payments. Child support can affect some Centrelink payments, but the assessment itself is handled under the child support scheme.
What Child Support Covers in QLD
Child support contributes to the ordinary costs of raising children. In Queensland, as elsewhere in Australia, there are generally no rules about how a receiving parent spends the funds.
Common expenses covered by child support
- Food. Groceries and meals.
- Clothing. Everyday wear, school uniforms and seasonal needs.
- Housing. Rent, mortgage payments and utilities.
- Education. General school fees, textbooks and necessary supplies.
- Medical care. Routine healthcare, including doctor visits and medications.
The receiving parent decides how the funds are allocated across household and child-related costs. See What Does Child Support Cover in Australia? for more detail.
Other Services
Child support is separate from parenting arrangements and Queensland’s child protection system. Child maintenance can also have a narrower legal meaning than ordinary child support.
Child custody. The term generally refers to parenting arrangements, including where a child lives, time with each parent and responsibility for major decisions. Services Australia does not decide these issues. Parents may agree through a parenting plan or seek consent orders or parenting orders under family law.
Queensland Child Safety. Child Safety responds to concerns that a child has suffered harm or may be at risk. Concerns can be reported to a Regional Intake Service during business hours or to the Child Safety After Hours Service Centre on 1800 177 135. Call 000 if a child is in immediate danger. Child Safety does not administer child support.
Child maintenance. The term is often used to mean ordinary child support. Legally, it can also refer to support ordered by a court when the administrative child support scheme does not apply. Adult child maintenance may be ordered in some cases to help a child complete their education or because of a mental or physical disability.
When Does Child Support End in Queensland?
Child support in Queensland normally ends when a child turns 18. Queensland’s 30 June school starting age cut-off means many students finish Year 12 at 17, so an existing assessment may continue after secondary school finishes.
If a child turns 18 while completing Year 12, the receiving parent can apply to extend the assessment until the end of the school year. The application should normally be made before the child turns 18.
University study does not qualify for an extension. However, many first-year university students from Queensland are still 17 when they begin, so an existing child support assessment may continue for several weeks or months until they turn 18.
Related: What Age Does Child Support Stop?