Age of a qualifying child

Find out about the current child support requirements here

The age at which a qualifying child ceases to qualify, and at which point child support is no longer payable, has changed. Currently the age is set at when the child turns 19 years old. This is being reduced to 18 years old, unless the child is 18 years and still enrolled at and attending a registered or overseas school. An 18 year old who is at a registered school until the end of the school's academic year will continue to be a qualifying child until 31 December in that year, as long as they continue to meet other requirements such as not being financially independent. This change brings the definition of a qualifying child closer to the maximum age for a dependent child under the Working for Families tax credits scheme.

The change takes effect from 1 April 2015, as the Child Support Amendment Act 2013 requires that in relation to the child support year commencing 1 April 2014, a qualifying child is to be read as referring to a child aged under 19 years.