numba | Who Does What Around Child Support?

March 3, 2025| July Solomon

Who Does What Around Child Support?

There are family lawyers, child support lawyers, tax lawyers, and child support tax agents. Most couples never use any of them. But the higher the income and wealth at stake, the more help you need to manage child support – to pay less if you are the payer or receive more if you are the payee. So let’s look at who does what?

Family Lawyer

A family lawyer helps you with the legal side of a relationship breakdown, like property settlement and custody arrangements.

Less than 30% of separating couples get a family lawyer.

Child Support Lawyer

A child support lawyer is a family lawyer who specialises in child support. They help you negotiate your child support arrangements and draft your agreement.

A child support lawyer doesn’t replace your family lawyer. They just come in as a specialist when you need an expert.

Most couples don’t involve a child support lawyer. It all depends on how much income and wealth there is, and how much you want to lawyer up.

Tax Lawyer

A tax lawyer often comes in when you either face significant capital gains tax issues or want to set up a child maintenance trust.

Accountant

Your accountant – make sure they understand child support and tax – helps you structure your affairs to optimise your child support and tax. Lawyers know the law, but accountants know the numbers and tax (assuming they are registered tax agents).

Involve us early if you are negotiating an agreement, since agreements are hard to change once signed.

The same applies if you are thinking about a child maintenance trust (‘CMT’) since a CMT only works if set up at the time of separation.