Ko wai ka taea te utu, te whiwhi rānei i te Takuhe Tiaki Tamariki? Can you get child support?

You can sign up for child support if your child qualifies, at least 1 parent can be made to pay, and the child lives with 1 carer for at least 35% of the time.

The requirements on this page are only for voluntary agreements and formula assessments. If you have a private agreement, you and the other parent decide when and how much child support is paid even if you do not meet all these requirements. 

Your child support will end if you, the child or the other parent no longer meet all the requirements.

Minimum care requirements

To get child support, your child needs to live with you (or another carer) for at least 35% of the time – that’s about 5 days a fortnight.

Sharing care of children
Voluntary agreements 

Paying parent requirements

For someone to be made liable for (made to pay) child support, they must not be in a relationship with the person they are paying child support to.

One of the following also needs to apply.

• They are the child’s birth or legally adoptive parent.
• They were married to the other parent when the child was conceived or born.
• They have acknowledged before a court, or in writing, that they are the child’s parent.
• The Family Court declared them a legal step-parent.
• A court declared them the child’s parent through a paternity order.

They must also be either:

• a New Zealand citizen or resident – that is, living here as their main home
• resident in Australia or another country we have a child support agreement with (formula assessments only).

Find countries that have child support agreements with New Zealand

Child requirements

You can apply for child support if your child meets all these requirements.

Under 18

They must be under 18. Or, if they’re 18, they still need to be at secondary school. In this case, child support ends on 31 December of the year they turn 18.

Unmarried

They must not be married, in a de facto relationship or civil union.

Depend on you financially

This means they are either under 16, or if they’re 16 or older, they work no more than 30 hours a week on average. They also must not be receiving a student allowance or income-tested benefit (like the Jobseeker benefit).

New Zealanders

They must be New Zealand citizens or living in New Zealand most of the time (ordinarily resident). If they often travel overseas but are New Zealand tax residents, they qualify for child support.

Check if you are a citizen (govt.nz)
Tax residency status for individuals

Applying for child support

If you meet the requirements, you can apply for a formula assessment or register an agreement you've made with the other parent.

Apply for child support - formula assessment
Register a voluntary agreement