Relevant dependent child
A relevant dependent child is a child you support who is not part of any child support case. Most often, this is a child from a new relationship who lives with you.
The system recognises that you still need to provide for other dependent children, so it adjusts your income before calculating what you pay or receive for the children in the case.
Definition
A parent’s relevant dependent child is a biological child, an adopted child, a child born as a result of an artificial conception procedure, a child born under surrogacy arrangements, or in limited circumstances, a step-child.
The parent must have at least shared care of the child during the relevant care period.
The child must be under 18 years of age, or over 18 and still in secondary school where the last day of the school year has not yet occurred, and must not be a member of a couple.
The parent must not be assessed in respect of the costs of the child under a child support case. If they are, the child is treated as a multi-case child instead.
For a step-child to qualify, the parent must have a court order requiring them to maintain that child.
Definition source: Guides to Social Policy Law, Child Support Guide, Relevant dependent child.
Role in the formula
A relevant dependent child reduces the income used in your child support assessment. The system recognises that part of your income is already committed to supporting that child, so it subtracts a calculated amount before working out payments for the children in the case.
The adjustment is called the relevant dependent child amount. It is worked out using the same costs of children approach used elsewhere in the formula, based on your income and level of care.
Only your income is used when working out this adjustment. A new partner’s income is not included. Each relevant dependent child is assessed separately, and the amounts are added together before being deducted from your income.
If a child is already part of a child support case, they cannot also be counted as a relevant dependent child. In that situation, they are handled under multi-case rules instead.
Example
You have one child in your current child support case and one younger child who lives with you full time from a new relationship. That younger child is not part of any assessment, so they are treated as a relevant dependent child.
The system calculates a cost for that child based on your income. That amount is deducted before your child support income is worked out. The result is a lower assessed income, which reduces the amount you pay for the child in the case.