I have never claimed child support for my three boys since my ex husband and I divorced in 2011, as he has never had an official income.
I’m wondering if there’s any way for me to do so.
What the situation is, we have three sons, 9, 12 and 15.
My ex lives on a farm with his partner. The farm is owned by his mother in law. It’s one of the biggest cattle properties in the Victorian High Country. His missus pays him $500 a week cash in hand, so he doesn’t have to pay child support. He’s not on any Centrelink benefit.
He has the boys sporadically, and only on his terms, and certainly not when I would like him to.
Personally, I would like the boys to visit their father every second weekend and for at least half of the school holidays, but he won’t have this, saying he’s got too much work to do on the farm (and other farmers with kids don’t?)
He’s never paid a cent in support, saying I don’t deserve it because I chose to leave him.
I don’t know who I would speak to for mediation to encourage him to have the boys more often, or whether it would be at all possible to get any child support from him.
I think it’s a bit unfair!
Child support
Child support
Posted in:
Relationships & Marriage, Money
6 Replies
I reported my exes employers and his girlfriend to the ato and centrelink. The government takes it more seriously when they are being ripped off. Go onto the ATO website and look for 'report fraud' or something like that. If she or they have children together dob them in to centrelink too, no doubt they will be telling porkies there. Once the ATO had done their magic my ex had to pay me 18000 dollars in arrears and a new cs amount of 1400 dollars a month, a little better than the previous 28 a month. He was earning 120k a year but declared a $0 income.
She said they don’t claim Centrelink.
I wouldn’t believe anything this dead beat dad says!
He is punishing his kids for his wife leaving... what a dick
You can claim. Then lodge a change of assessment and they will base his amount on assets etc given he has no official income. They will realise he is housing and feeding himself one way or another.
He's paid $500 cash in hand a week the farm has to declare it somewhere. (I'm a farmers wife) Go to child support put in a claim and make them collect it for you. If her Mum is paying her for him then it's highly possible you can't claim anything but this is a big but he will still have to pay you the absolute minimum of child support and his debt will keep increasing over time and eventually they can take his car or any assets that are his especially if you get child support to collect for you. With guys like him you cannot do private collect. With his time with the kids if he's not "employed" he has no excuses not to have his kids. Tell him straight if you're not employed and you don't have a job what are you doing that makes you unable to have your children?? Are you working and lying to the government?? Ultimately you can't force him to have them but it truly does show your kids that ultimately they have a seriously shitty dad with no morals. They know you've tried your best and that's all you can do.
If he isn't interested in time with them then do not send your children there, they are not his priority and they will know it.
Lodge a claim through CSA for them to collect and forget about it, as others said he will have to pay the minimum amount and eventually they will get it.