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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Child Support Act 1991

Liability to pay child support under formula assessment - Commencement of liability to pay child support

18: Effect of being liable parent or receiving carer

You could also call this:

"What happens when you're named as a parent who pays or a carer who receives child support"

If the Commissioner decides you're a liable parent of a child, you have to pay child support for that child. But if the Commissioner works out that you owe nothing, then you don't have to pay anything.

If the Commissioner decides you're a receiving carer of a child, you're the person who should get child support payments for that child. However, there are some cases where no child support is payable to you.

The Commissioner is the person in charge of making these decisions. They look at your situation and decide if you need to pay or receive child support.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM253550.

Topics:
Family and relationships > Children and parenting
Previous

17: Determining who are liable parents and receiving carers, or

"Finding out who pays and who gets child support"

Next

19: When liability to pay child support starts, or

"When you start paying money to help take care of your child"

Part 1Liability to pay child support under formula assessment
Commencement of liability to pay child support

18Effect of being liable parent or receiving carer

  1. A person who the Commissioner determines is a liable parent of a child is liable to make payments of child support in respect of that child, unless the parent's liability is assessed as nil in accordance with section 31(1).

  2. A person who the Commissioner determines is a receiving carer of a child is a person in relation to whom child support payments in respect of the child are payable, unless no child support is payable in accordance with section 36A(3) or 36C(4).

Notes
  • Section 18: replaced, on , by section 10 of the Child Support Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 12).