So my son costs 65% less this week LOL

[Issey]

does the government think i should live in poverty...

apparently my son costs 65% less to raise this week than he did last week cutting my child support down dramatically.

shouldn't it just be a fixed price per child so everyone is entitled to the same as it is total BS when you CSB doesn't cover even half of your childcare fees so I can work part-time.

my grocery bill does't get calculated by an income test so how can the cost of my son.

Sorry I just really need to vent as I have lost a lot of income recently and am feeling angry about it.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:

[Benji]

I was just talking about this!

My boy's child care fees are just under $100 per week and I'm entitled to $12 per week in child care, and he doesn't even pay that :laughing:

I don't understand how they work it out either. I have been told by them one week that DS costs four thousand and something per year, yet he only has to pay $600 odd dollars per year :detective:

[sam's mum]

unfortunately it isn't how much the child costs, it is how much the parents earn.

I don't think that a fixed amount would work. that is how the ftp works because it comes from the govt.

If CS was a fixed amount you would have some people that don't earn much having to pay ridiculously high amounts, and others that earn a lot having to pay virtually nothing.

unfortunately, I don't think that there is any good system for working out. whatever method will have winners and losers.

exDH underestimated his income last year. it was hard at the time because I got less CS for the year, but they have reassessed it now and I think that he has to pay catch up money for it.

[OneNowOneLater]

Meanwhile, i dont have my new assessment yet :( Still waiting.

[sam's mum]

onol - I got three and they all had different periods inside. I still don't know what it means.

I wish that it had - this is what it should have been, this is what it was, this is the difference and this is what will happen. :dizzy:

[little bean]

I didn't get a new assessment either. Do they mail it out to us? Do they backdate it to the beginning of the financial year?

I'm lucky that I get a decent amount of CS (although it still doesn't pay for half my expenses). It seems crazy that some people only get $12 a fortnight... it's not like you can choose not to feed or put nappies on your baby. The reality is that they DO cost a certain amount to take care of and the mother (usually the mother) is left to pay for those expenses. If she goes out and gets a job, she is then lumped with daycare fees too (thank goodness they're subsidised but it's still a lot if you're on a small income.)

There should definitely be a minimum amount.

[Mathermy]

That must be a really big adjustment for you :(:hugs:

[Issey]

i think there should be a minimum amount too at least $80, an amount that is reasonable afterall raising a child costs money and do they think just because you are divorsed or whatever the mother should have to pay the majority of it when she is on a lower income than the man (which in most cases is true):banghead:

[MummaBear03]

onol - I got three and they all had different periods inside. I still don't know what it means.

I wish that it had - this is what it should have been, this is what it was, this is the difference and this is what will happen. :dizzy:

:laughing: This is a government agency, they are not known for their simplicity.

I get nothing due to an exemption, but if I take it to court and demand CS I'd be getting $8/month unless he still has no CS to pay for the twins, in which case I'd get $24/month so it's just not worth it. Not to mention I'd never hear the end of it from her sperm donor, it's easier not to have it, but yes children cost a certain amount. If I added up all her expenses each year (some things are a one-off cost like uniforms and shoes and sporting activities) and divide by 52, she would be costing around $400 a week, so is it too much to ask for $200 of that to come from her father, or even $100 a week with FTB making up some of it as well?

There definately should be a more reasonable minimum amount. $24/fn (split between however many kids the ex happens to have) is just not enough to cover the cost.