Assumptions about parents
This 2013 amendment to the Child Support Act covers assumptions about parents of qualifying children and allows the CIR to modify incorrect assumptions.
New section 7B says the Commissioner is entitled to assume, when making a formula assessment, that a qualifying child has two parents and that those parents are living apart. The Child Support Amendment Act 2013 is written on the basis of this assumption; however, there are situations when these assumptions will be incorrect. For example, there may be three legal parents of a qualifying child and two of those parents may be living together. The Commissioner may make any necessary modifications to the provisions of the Child Support Act 1991 to reflect the true position.