SA Child Support Issue with Ex - Parenting Plan?

[Cupcake]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of negotiating relocation with the OP. He agrees in principle, custody arrangements nearly sorted but tonight he sprung on me (after months of negotiation) that he will only accept the arrangement if I agree to signing off on never changing the current child support assessment (in terms of % care).

Currently he has 4 nights / fortnight and CS is according to that.

New arrangement he has requested (his request) only 33 nights / year. I offered him over 100 nights a year (all school holidays, 2 night weekend monthly and an extra week twice year, plus overnight visits if he wanted to visit our new town). All of which he declined except the 33 nights (1 week every 2 weeks school holiday block, and 1 night once a month).

All travel is at my expense - which will be 15 trips / year. He wanted me to fork out for a flight, but that is unaffordable so I offered to drive.

Does anyone have any help? Should I cut my losses and agree. What legality/weight on CS would a parenting plan from Relationships Australia have, would it be binding with them?

I need some help before I can consider this. I'd rather not take it to court as we are nearly in agreement. I was blindsided with this request I guess.

 

[sammy01]

CSA will not accept such a proposal. Simply put paying for your kids is not something that can be negotiated.

So if you're collecting family tax benefit, they are gonna want to see that CSA is being paid according to the rules and if it is not then they will collect the $$$...I'd call CSA and ask them, but to be honest, sometimes the people answering their phones know less than me.

% of care is based nights per year. It isn't negotiable. either he has XXX amount of nights or he doesn't

 

[AllForHer]

Tell him that CSA issues should be taken up with CSA. There's a reason they assign an entire department for this kind of thing. Unless you sign a binding child support agreement (warning: don't do it), then child support assessments and payments are outside of both your hands and his.

 

[Blessing]

as others said unless it's a private arrangement you can't dictate what the CSA assessment is as long as they are aware of the new arrangement.

 

[Cupcake]

Thank you.