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Child Support Act 1991

Miscellaneous provisions

Schedule 3: Expenditure on children

You could also call this:

“How much money parents spend on their kids based on how much they earn”

This table shows how much money is spent on children based on a person’s income. The amount spent on children changes as income increases, and it’s different for different age groups and numbers of children.

The table uses something called “average weekly earnings” or AWE to measure income. It shows what percentage of each extra dollar of income is considered to be spent on children. For example, if you earn up to half of the AWE and have one child aged 0-12, 17% of your income is considered to be spent on that child.

As income increases, the percentage spent on children generally decreases. The table also shows that more money is spent on older children and when there are more children. For very high incomes (more than 2.5 times AWE), the amount spent on children doesn’t increase anymore.

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Topics:
Family and relationships > Children and parenting
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3Expenditure on children Empowered by s 36D

This table sets out percentages of child support income amounts that are expended on children. The percentages represent marginal expenditure, which means how much of each additional dollar of child support income in an AWE* band is treated as expenditure on children. Where child support income extends over several AWE bands, expenditure therefore accumulates down the columns.

The following table is small in size and has 9 columns. Column 1 is headed Fraction of AWE. Columns 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are grouped under the heading Percentages of child support income amounts. Columns 2, 3, 4 are grouped under the heading Age group: all children aged 0 to 12 Number of children. Column 2 is headed 1, column 3 is headed 2, and column 4 is headed 3 or more. Columns 5, 6, 7 are grouped under the heading Age group: all, or the oldest 3, children aged 13 or over Number of children. Column 5 is headed 1, column 6 is headed 2, and column 7 is headed 3 or more. Columns 8, and 9 are grouped under the heading Age group: at least 1 child aged 0 to 12, and 1 or 2 children aged 13 or over Number of children. Column 8 is headed 2, and column 9 is headed 3 or more.
Fraction of AWE Percentages of child support income amounts
Age group: all children aged 0 to 12 Age group: all children aged 13 or over
Number of children Number of children
1 2 3 or more 1 2 3 or more
Up to and including 0.5 17% 24% 27% 23% 29% 32%
More than 0.5 but no more than 1 15% 23% 26% 22% 28% 31%
More than 1 but no more than 1.5 12% 20% 25% 12% 25% 30%
More than 1.5 but no more than 2 10% 18% 24% 10% 20% 29%
More than 2 but no more than 2.5 7% 10% 18% 9% 13% 20%
More than 2.5 † † † † † †
* Average weekly earnings (for all industries, males and females combined), published by Statistics New Zealand (or if that index ceases to be published, any measure certified by the Government Statistician as being equivalent to that index) for the June quarter in the immediately preceding child support year. The weekly earnings are annualised.
†For child support income amounts that exceed 2.5 times AWE, the marginal expenditure on children does not increase. The relevant amounts to be inserted in a child expenditure table in this row are therefore the maximum amounts from the row immediately above it.
Notes
  • Schedule 3: amended, on , by section 107(1) of the Data and Statistics Act 2022 (2022 No 39).
  • Schedule 3: amended, on , by section 244 of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2021–22, GST, and Remedial Matters) Act 2022 (2022 No 10).
  • Schedule 3: amended, on , by section 58 of the Child Support Amendment Act 2021 (2021 No 6).

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