Child Support & Maintenance

About the service

At Vic Rajah Family and Estate Lawyers, we provide advice concerning child support issues and also prepare Agreements tailored to your children’s unique financial needs. Based in the CBD, Melbourne Metropolitan area, the Diamond Valley, the Macedon Valley, the Bayside and the Mornington Peninsula, our solicitors are able to discuss your child support needs.

If you separate from your spouse or de facto partner and have children, it is likely that one of you will have to pay child support to the other. Every parent has a legal duty to financially support their children, irrespective of the state of the relationship between the parents. Deciding on how much you are required to pay or eligible to receive is usually determined by the Services Australia (Child Support). This process is in place to protect your children’s right to enjoy a fair and reasonable standard of living. It is important to remember that the goal is to provide children with a reasonable level of financial support that they would have had if their parents were still together.

Understanding how child support works

It is important to understand how child support works. Whether you are the one who is required to pay or is eligible to receive the payments, seeking counsel from child support solicitors can help you better understand your rights and obligations. It is important to understand how the law operates when meeting the financial needs of your children.

When a child turns 18 years or completes secondary school, they will not be eligible to receive child support. However, they may be eligible due to physical or mental incapacity or by undertaking tertiary studies to receive adult child maintenance. This is not governed by the laws concerning child support and is a discretionary matter which takes account of the needs of the adult child and the financial circumstances of the paying parent.

The team at Vic Rajah Family and Estate Lawyers are able to advise about the circumstances which may give rise to ongoing financial support for adult children.