Child support is money one parent pays to the other (usually the main carer of the children), for the purpose of providing financial support for the children.

Many parents receiving child support rely heavily on those payments to provide day to day requirements for their children.  So if the payer stops paying, it can be very stressful, financially and emotionally.

Firstly, don’t delay in dealing with the issue.

If safe for you to do so, can you contact your Ex-Partner to politely ask if there is a problem.  Sometimes mistakes happen, or something has happened in your ex’s life that has caused a hiccup.

But it could be more than a simple mistake/oversight/hiccup, and your ex might be taking the position that child support should not have to be paid anymore or should be changed.

In that case:

• If you have an administrative assessment in place, contact Child Support – Services Australia.
• If you have a Child Support Agreement in place, you have enforcement options in relation to the agreement, but ordinarily, you will need to be the one to take the steps to enforce it.
• Parties can also apply to the Court for a child support departure order as being another way to get child support from the other party.

If you need help with enforcing child support, contact us at SB Family Lawyers.