How to Report a Change in Child Care Arrangements for Child Support
Tell Services Australia when the care you provide for a child changes so your care percentage and child support assessment can be updated correctly.
AU Australia
Family ~ 8 min read
8 FAQ
Updated 2026-10-01
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If the amount of care you provide for a child changes, tell Services Australia as soon as possible. You can report the change through your Child Support online account linked to myGov or contact the Child Support enquiry line. Report the change within 28 days where possible: if you report within 28 days, Services Australia can generally apply the new care level from the date the care changed. You may be asked for evidence if the other parent disagrees.
What you need
- Have an existing child support case involving the child whose care arrangements have changed.
- Know the date the care arrangement changed.
- Be ready to describe the new level of care as a number of nights or a percentage of time.
- Provide information about why the care changed, whether another person provides the remaining care, and whether there is a written care arrangement.
- Tell Services Australia whether the other party agrees with the care information you provide.
- Keep supporting evidence if the care percentage is disputed, such as a care diary or calendar, court order or parenting plan, school or day-care records, health-service records, travel records or relevant communications.
Eligibility
A parent or non-parent carer whose actual care of a child has changed can report the change to Services Australia where that care is relevant to a child support assessment. Services Australia uses each responsible person's percentage of care when calculating child support. You should report a change as soon as possible and preferably within 28 days, because the date you notify Services Australia can affect when the new care percentage takes effect. Different rules can apply where a written care arrangement is no longer being followed and the care is disputed.
How to do it
- Work out when the child's care arrangement changed and how much care you now provide.
- Sign in to myGov and open your linked Child Support online account.
- Select Manage circumstances, then select Advise a change of care.
- Select the child support case and the child or children whose care has changed. Children from different cases must be updated separately.
- Enter the date the care changed and explain the circumstances of the change.
- Report your new care level using either the number of nights or the percentage of time.
- Answer the questions about the remaining care, any written care arrangement and whether the other party agrees with the information.
- Review the information, accept the declaration and submit the update.
- Save the receipt or Receipt ID. If Services Australia needs more information or evidence, it will contact you. You can upload supporting Child Support documents online if required.
Why does a change in care need to be reported?
Services Australia considers how much care each parent or non-parent carer provides when calculating a child support assessment. This is expressed as a percentage of care.
If the way you and another person share the care of a child changes, your existing care percentage may no longer reflect the child's actual arrangements. Services Australia may need to determine a new percentage and change the amount of child support you pay or receive.
A care change can also affect Family Tax Benefit Part A. If you receive family payments, the care information used for those payments may therefore also be relevant.
How soon should you report the change?
Tell Services Australia about a care change within 28 days of the change where possible. If Services Australia is told within 28 days, it can generally adjust the child support assessment from the date the care arrangement changed.
If you report the change more than 28 days later, the effective date can depend on whether your care increased or decreased. Services Australia states that if your care increased, the new level will generally apply only from the date it was notified. If your care decreased, the change can be applied from the date the care actually changed.
Reporting late can therefore result in a child support debt or overpayment, and in some circumstances an assessment may be suspended or ended. The Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 contains the rules governing the effect of changes to percentage-of-care determinations.
How do you report the change through myGov?
You can report the change online through your Child Support online account. Sign in to myGov, select Child Support, then choose Manage circumstances > Advise a change of care.
Select the relevant case and the child or children whose arrangements changed. Services Australia asks whether you have already told Centrelink about the change. If Centrelink is already considering the care change, Child Support may need to wait for that decision before updating the information.
You then enter the date the care changed, explain why it changed and describe your new level of care. The online service allows you to provide the level as either:
- the number of nights, including the applicable frequency; or
- the percentage of time you provide care.
The service also asks whether the other party provides the remaining care, whether there is a written care arrangement and whether the other party is likely to agree with the information you have provided.
How is your percentage of care worked out?
Services Australia usually determines your percentage of care from the amount of care you actually provide. If both parents agree about the arrangements, they may provide the agreed amount of care. If they do not agree, Services Australia can determine the percentage.
Services Australia groups care into five levels:
- below regular care: 0% to less than 14%, generally 0 to 51 nights a year;
- regular care: 14% to less than 35%, generally 52 to 127 nights a year;
- shared care: 35% to 65%, generally 128 to 237 nights a year;
- primary care: more than 65% to 86%, generally 238 to 313 nights a year; and
- more than primary care: more than 86%.
Because a new percentage can change the child support calculation, report the actual arrangement rather than estimating how much you think the child support payment should change.
What evidence can you use if the care percentage is disputed?
If you and the other parent do not agree about the amount of care, Services Australia can ask for evidence to determine the actual arrangement. Official examples include:
- a diary or calendar showing when the child was in your care;
- a court order or parenting plan together with evidence about how the arrangement is actually operating;
- day-care, school or other regular-activity records;
- records of visits to health care or other services;
- airline bookings or passports showing relevant travel dates; and
- statements or communications from other people.
Services Australia says evidence of statements can include voice recordings, text messages and social media posts. It does not accept verbal or written statements from people under 18 as this type of evidence.
If you already have a child support assessment and the issue is not the care percentage but your income, use the separate process for updating your current income for child support.
What if the actual care no longer matches a court order or parenting plan?
Special rules can apply where there is a written care arrangement but the actual care is different. A written care arrangement can include a court order, parenting plan or written agreement between the parents that states how much care each person should provide.
Services Australia describes this as disputed care when the written arrangement is not being followed and the parent with reduced care is taking reasonable action to have it followed. In these circumstances, Services Australia may temporarily use the care set out in the written arrangement rather than immediately using only the actual care.
The applicable interim period can range from 4 to 52 weeks, depending on factors including the type and history of the written arrangement and actions being taken to restore or resolve it. The rules are more detailed than an ordinary agreed change of care.
If the disagreement is part of a wider parenting dispute and you need court orders about the child's arrangements, Helpydo has a separate guide to applying for parenting orders when parents cannot agree. Where parents have reached an agreement they want formalised, see the guide to applying for consent orders.
What happens after you report the change?
After submitting the online update, Services Australia provides a receipt and Receipt ID. Save this for your records.
Services Australia reviews the information you supplied. If it needs additional information or evidence, it will contact you. Supporting evidence can be uploaded through your Child Support online account.
If the new care level does not change the child support assessment, the online service may tell you that the care details will not be updated. Where the change does affect the assessment, Services Australia applies the relevant percentage-of-care rules and updates the assessment as required.
Can the change affect Family Tax Benefit?
Yes. Percentage of care is also relevant to Family Tax Benefit Part A. A change in the child's care can therefore affect both child support and family assistance.
If you receive Family Tax Benefit, make sure Services Australia has accurate care information for the relevant payment. For information about claiming FTB for a dependent child, see the Helpydo guide to Family Tax Benefit.
Can a care change end the child support assessment?
It can in some circumstances. Services Australia states that if a care change results in neither parent or carer having at least 35% actual care, the child support assessment can be affected, including suspension or ending of the assessment depending on the circumstances and when the change is reported.
A child support agreement can also be affected where the person entitled to receive child support has less than 35% care. If your circumstances require a new administrative assessment rather than an update to an existing care percentage, use the separate Helpydo guide to applying for a child support assessment.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to report a change in care for child support?
Tell Services Australia as soon as possible. If you report the change within 28 days, Services Australia can generally apply the new care level from the date the care changed. Reporting later can affect the date the new percentage takes effect.
Can I report a child support care change online?
Yes. Sign in to myGov, open your linked Child Support online account and select Manage circumstances, then Advise a change of care.
Do both parents have to agree on the new percentage of care?
No. If you cannot agree, Services Australia can determine the percentage of care. It may ask for evidence about the actual care arrangements.
What evidence can prove how much care I provide?
Services Australia may consider a care diary or calendar, court orders or parenting plans, school or day-care records, health-service records, travel records and relevant statements or communications.
What happens if I report increased care more than 28 days late?
Services Australia states that when increased care is reported more than 28 days after the change, the new level will generally apply from the date it was notified rather than from the earlier date the care changed.
What if my care has decreased and I report it late?
Services Australia states that when decreased care is reported more than 28 days after the change, the new care level can be applied from when the care actually changed. This may result in a debt or overpayment.
What if our parenting plan says one thing but the child is living differently?
Disputed-care rules may apply if a written care arrangement is not being followed and the parent with reduced care is taking reasonable action to have it followed. Services Australia may use the written arrangement during an interim period.
Can changing care affect Family Tax Benefit as well as child support?
Yes. Services Australia also uses percentage of care for Family Tax Benefit Part A, so a change in care can affect both child support and family payments.
Official sources
Services Australia — Child Support online account help: Advise change of care arrangementsServices Australia — How your percentage of care affects your child support paymentsServices Australia — Child support payments and care arrangementsServices Australia — Disputed care and interim periodsFederal Register of Legislation — Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989Related procedures
Useful next steps and closely related guides for Australia.
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