Child support arrangements with New Zealand
The Department of Human Services (Child Support Agency) (DHS) in Australia, formerly known as the Child Support Agency, have an agreement with their counterpart organisation in New Zealand, the New Zealand Inland Revenue (NZIR) in relation to the collection of child support.
This agreement allows both departments to collect and distribute child support payments in their respective jurisdiction.
For example, if you are living in Australia with a child and the other parent lives in New Zealand, you can choose to have DHS collect the payments on your behalf. This results in DHS liaising with NZIR, to have NZIR collect and remit the collected funds to DHS to distribute to you.
The agreement also works the other way, allowing a parent living in New Zealand with a child to receive payments from the other parent who lives in Australia.
Due to the additional processes and the involvement of both agencies, the payment of child support will generally take longer than the process in one country.
If you need specialist advice on parenting within the family law context, or any other family law issue, contact Michael Lynch Family Lawyers today. We’re here to give you advice especially tailored to your situation. To make an appointment, call our office on: (07) 3221 4300 or email: [email protected]