Registered child support liability
A registered child support liability is the amount of child support that Services Australia is formally collecting. It is created when the assessed amount is entered in the Child Support Register.
This term refers to the figures shown in your assessment or account when agency collect is in place. If payments are missed, the unpaid amounts are added as debt on top of the liability. If private collect is used instead, the same amount exists but is not registered for collection.
Definition
A liability that can be registered for collection under the CSRC Act is a registrable maintenance liability.
A registrable maintenance liability can be:
- a liability to pay child support arising under a child support assessment
- a liability to pay child, step-child, spousal or de facto maintenance arising under an Australian court order or court-registered maintenance agreement
- a recovery order
- a registrable overseas maintenance liability
Definition source: Guides to Social Policy Law, Child Support Guide, Version 4.97, released 20 March 2026, 1.1.R.40 Registrable maintenance liability.
Role in the formula
The child support formula calculates how much child support is payable. A registered child support liability is what that amount becomes when it is set up for agency collection.
Registration does not change the amount. It determines how the liability is handled.
Where agency collect is used, the liability is entered in the child support register. The amount becomes enforceable by Services Australia, and payments must be made to the agency.
If private collect is in place, the liability still exists under the assessment or order but is not registered for collection. The agency does not collect or enforce it unless registration is requested.
Example
A child support assessment sets a payer’s obligation at $300 per fortnight.
If agency collect is chosen, that amount is registered and collected by Services Australia. If payments are missed, the unpaid amount is added as a debt and pursued separately.
If private collect is used instead, the same $300 is paid directly between parents. The liability is not registered, and enforcement remains a private matter unless collection is later requested.