Child Support Agreement vs Assessment: What's the Difference?
One is the government's standard formula. The other is something you and your ex-partner work out yourselves. Here's how to tell which fits your situation.
Most separated parents start out on the standard child support assessment without really choosing to - it's simply the default. A child support agreement is what you use instead, if you and your ex-partner would rather set your own terms.
What is a child support assessment?
A child support assessment is the standard calculation Services Australia performs, using a set formula based on both parents' incomes, the amount of care each parent provides, and the ages and number of children involved. It's the default arrangement - if you and your ex-partner don't set anything else up, this is what applies. Neither of you negotiates the figure directly; it's calculated for you.
What is a child support agreement?
A child support agreement is a private, written agreement between you and your ex-partner about how child support will be paid, instead of relying on the standard assessment formula. There are two types - a limited agreement, which has to be based on an existing assessment and either of you can end after three years, and a binding agreement, which doesn't need to be based on an assessment at all but requires independent legal advice for each of you before it takes effect. Our child support agreement page covers both types in full.
Side by side
| Assessment | Agreement | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the amount | Services Australia, via a standard formula | You and your ex-partner, by mutual agreement |
| Is it the default? | Yes - applies automatically if nothing else is set up | No - you have to actively set one up |
| Requires independent legal advice? | No | Only for a binding agreement - not a limited one |
| How flexible is it | Recalculated as circumstances change, on their formula | Whatever terms you both agree to include |
Which one do I need?
If you're happy with a standard, formula-based figure and don't need anything more tailored, the assessment already applies to you by default and there's nothing to prepare. If you and your ex-partner want to agree your own arrangement - a different amount, a different payment structure, or terms the formula doesn't cover - a child support agreement is the right product. If you're specifically looking to move away from an assessment you're already on, our opting out of the assessment page walks through exactly how that switch works.