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Child Support Change of Assessment (Australia)
When the standard child support formula produces an unfair result — because a parent hides their real income, the child has high special-needs costs, or contact across the country costs a fortune — Australian law lets you apply to change the assessment in special circumstances. Our template builds the Part 6A application: it identifies which of the 10 statutory reasons you rely on, frames the just-and-equitable and otherwise-proper test, assembles the financial and care evidence, and sets out the CS1970 process, backdating and the objection pathway.
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Application to Change a Child Support Assessment
Special Circumstances — Part 6A, Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth) · 11 June 2026
Sophie L. Hartmann
6 Wattlebird Close, Eltham VIC 3095
0410 552 803
sophie.hartmann@email.com.au
11 June 2026
Services Australia — Child Support
Services Australia — Child Support
GPO Box 9815
Melbourne VIC 3001
GPO Box 9815
Melbourne VIC 3001
CHANGE OF ASSESSMENT — SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
CRN: 402 778 115K · Reason 8
Dear Child Support Registrar,
I, Sophie L. Hartmann, the receiving parent in this child support case, apply to change the assessment in special circumstances under Part 6A of the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth). I rely on Reason 8 — a parent's income, resources or earning capacity. This is an application to depart from the formula assessment because of special circumstances — it is not an objection to a decision already made. I ask that this letter be treated as my application (form CS1970), and that receipt be confirmed in writing.
I, Sophie L. Hartmann, the receiving parent in this child support case, apply to change the assessment in special circumstances under Part 6A of the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth). I rely on Reason 8 — a parent's income, resources or earning capacity. This is an application to depart from the formula assessment because of special circumstances — it is not an objection to a decision already made. I ask that this letter be treated as my application (form CS1970), and that receipt be confirmed in writing.
1.
APPLICANT AND CASE DETAILS
Full name: Sophie L. Hartmann
Customer Reference Number (CRN): 402 778 115K
Address: 6 Wattlebird Close, Eltham VIC 3095
Telephone: 0410 552 803
Email: sophie.hartmann@email.com.au
My role in the case: the receiving parent
Other parent: Daniel J. Hartmann
Customer Reference Number (CRN): 402 778 115K
Address: 6 Wattlebird Close, Eltham VIC 3095
Telephone: 0410 552 803
Email: sophie.hartmann@email.com.au
My role in the case: the receiving parent
Other parent: Daniel J. Hartmann
2.
THE CHILDREN AND THE CURRENT ASSESSMENT
The children: Mia Hartmann (born 14 March 2014) and Leo Hartmann (born 2 September 2016).
The current assessment: About $310 per month payable by the other parent, based on his most recent taxable income.
The reason I rely on: Reason 8 — a parent's income, resources or earning capacity
The current assessment: About $310 per month payable by the other parent, based on his most recent taxable income.
The reason I rely on: Reason 8 — a parent's income, resources or earning capacity
3.
MY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The other parent runs his own building company and has restructured his affairs so that his taxable income is around $48,000, while he draws on the company for a new vehicle, overseas travel and a recently purchased investment property. The current assessment does not reflect his real financial capacity.
4.
THE CHANGE I SEEK
Increase the assessment to reflect the other parent's true income, financial resources and earning capacity, rather than his reduced taxable income, and backdate the change to when his income was restructured.
5.
THE REASON UNDER PART 6A
Reason 8 applies where the assessment is unfair because of the income, property, financial resources or earning capacity of one or both parents — the most common reason, used where a parent's real capacity is not reflected in their taxable income (for example non-taxable income, hidden resources, or a deliberate reduction in income).
The test the Registrar applies: a change can be made only if a reason is established because of special circumstances, and the Registrar is then satisfied that a change would be just and equitable as between the child, the payer and the payee, and otherwise proper.
How the reason is met in my case: This is a Reason 8 case (income, financial resources and earning capacity of a parent). The other parent has the capacity to earn at his former level and has financial resources — company drawings, a new vehicle, and an investment property — that are not captured by his taxable income. I ask the Registrar to assess his capacity at a level consistent with his work history and his actual financial position.
My circumstances in detail: Until 2024 the other parent earned around $135,000 as an employed site manager. He then set up his own company and his declared taxable income fell to about $48,000, even though the business is plainly profitable: in the last year he has bought a new dual-cab ute through the company, taken the children's half-siblings on an overseas holiday, and purchased an investment unit in Reservoir. His lifestyle and asset position are inconsistent with an income of $48,000.
The test the Registrar applies: a change can be made only if a reason is established because of special circumstances, and the Registrar is then satisfied that a change would be just and equitable as between the child, the payer and the payee, and otherwise proper.
How the reason is met in my case: This is a Reason 8 case (income, financial resources and earning capacity of a parent). The other parent has the capacity to earn at his former level and has financial resources — company drawings, a new vehicle, and an investment property — that are not captured by his taxable income. I ask the Registrar to assess his capacity at a level consistent with his work history and his actual financial position.
My circumstances in detail: Until 2024 the other parent earned around $135,000 as an employed site manager. He then set up his own company and his declared taxable income fell to about $48,000, even though the business is plainly profitable: in the last year he has bought a new dual-cab ute through the company, taken the children's half-siblings on an overseas holiday, and purchased an investment unit in Reservoir. His lifestyle and asset position are inconsistent with an income of $48,000.
6.
FINANCIAL EVIDENCE
My financial circumstances: My own adjusted taxable income is about $61,000 as a part-time nurse, and I provide the primary care of both children. I am not seeking anything beyond an assessment that reflects the other parent's genuine capacity.
I ask the Registrar to look behind the taxable income figures and consider the true income, financial resources and earning capacity of the other parent, which I say the formula assessment does not reflect.
Documents I rely on:
1. The other parent's historical group certificates / income statements — his former income of about $135,000 as an employed site manager
2. Title search and listing for the Reservoir investment unit — a property purchased after his taxable income fell
3. Social media posts and photographs of the overseas family holiday and the new company vehicle — a lifestyle inconsistent with a $48,000 income
I ask the Registrar to look behind the taxable income figures and consider the true income, financial resources and earning capacity of the other parent, which I say the formula assessment does not reflect.
Documents I rely on:
1. The other parent's historical group certificates / income statements — his former income of about $135,000 as an employed site manager
2. Title search and listing for the Reservoir investment unit — a property purchased after his taxable income fell
3. Social media posts and photographs of the overseas family holiday and the new company vehicle — a lifestyle inconsistent with a $48,000 income
7.
CARE, CONTACT AND SPECIAL NEEDS
Care of the children: I provide care of about 78% (the children live with me most nights).
Contact costs: [The high costs of spending time with or communicating with the child — travel, accommodation, flights — if you rely on Reason 1]
Special needs: [Any special needs of the child and the costs they create — therapy, equipment, medical care — if you rely on Reason 2]
Contact costs: [The high costs of spending time with or communicating with the child — travel, accommodation, flights — if you rely on Reason 1]
Special needs: [Any special needs of the child and the costs they create — therapy, equipment, medical care — if you rely on Reason 2]
8.
PROCESS AND REVIEW PATHWAY
After I lodge this application, the Registrar will send a copy to the other parent, who may respond or make a cross-application (form CS1971). A Senior Case Officer then considers the application and decides whether to change the assessment.
Backdating: I ask that any change be backdated. A change of assessment can be backdated up to 18 months before the date of this application. The income was restructured in early 2024, and I ask that the change be backdated to the maximum extent allowed.
If I disagree with the decision: a change-of-assessment decision can be objected to within 28 days, and the objection decision can then be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal. I note this is a separate step that follows the decision on this application.
Backdating: I ask that any change be backdated. A change of assessment can be backdated up to 18 months before the date of this application. The income was restructured in early 2024, and I ask that the change be backdated to the maximum extent allowed.
If I disagree with the decision: a change-of-assessment decision can be objected to within 28 days, and the objection decision can then be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal. I note this is a separate step that follows the decision on this application.
9.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT REQUESTED
Please acknowledge receipt of this application in writing, confirm the date it was lodged, and tell me the name of the Senior Case Officer dealing with it. If anything further is required to decide the application, contact me using the details above.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
Sophie L. Hartmann
Parent
Date: ____________________
PARENT
Sophie L. Hartmann
Date: ____________________
Available as a print-ready PDF or an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
What Is a Change of Assessment?
A change of assessment is an application to the Child Support Registrar (Services Australia) to <strong>depart from the formula assessment</strong> because of special circumstances, under Part 6A of the <strong>Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth)</strong>. The standard formula uses each parent's taxable income and the nights of care; where that produces an unfair result, either parent — or a non-parent carer — can ask for it to be changed. The official form is the <strong>CS1970</strong> ("Application to change your assessment - special circumstances"), and this template builds the written application and the detailed grounds the form's free-text boxes expect.
A change is not granted just because an assessment feels unfair. The application must establish <strong>one of 10 reasons</strong> in section 117 — high contact costs, the child's special needs, high costs of care or education the parents intended, the child's own resources, money already paid for the child, high child care costs under 12, a parent's necessary expenses, a parent's income or earning capacity (Reason 8, the most common), a duty to maintain another child or person, or responsibility for a resident child. Then the Registrar must be satisfied a change would be <strong>just and equitable</strong> as between the child, the payer and the payee, and <strong>otherwise proper</strong> — a three-stage test the template writes into the application.
The process is run by a <strong>Senior Case Officer</strong>: the Registrar serves your application on the other parent, who can respond or make a cross-application (form CS1971), and the officer then decides on the documents. Two things shape the outcome. A change can be <strong>backdated up to 18 months</strong> before the application, so asking for it can recover months of an unfair assessment. And if you disagree with the decision, you can object within 28 days and then go to the Administrative Review Tribunal — a separate review pathway that follows this application.
What's Covered in This Template
A complete Part 6A application — the reason, the three-stage test, the financial and care evidence, and the process and review pathway.
The 10 Statutory Reasons
Choose which of the 10 section 117 reasons you rely on — and a second reason where more than one applies; the grounds framework rebuilds around your choice.
Payer, Payee or Carer
Frames the application correctly whether you pay child support, receive it, or care for the child as a non-parent.
The Current Assessment
States the current amount and how it was worked out, and exactly what change you seek and from when.
Expert: The Reason Under Part 6A
Writes the framework for your chosen reason into the application and frames the just-and-equitable and otherwise-proper test the Registrar must apply.
Expert: Financial Evidence
Looks behind taxable income to a parent's real resources and earning capacity, quantifies special costs, and assembles a numbered document schedule.
Expert: Care, Contact & Special Needs
Records your care percentage, the high contact costs for Reason 1, and the special-needs costs for Reason 2 — the facts the formula does not capture.
Expert: Process, Backdating & Review
Asks for backdating up to 18 months and records the objection-then-ART pathway if you disagree with the decision.
Distinct From an Objection
A fresh application to depart from the formula — not an objection to a decision already made, which is a different process with a different test.
Australian Letter Format
Applicant letterhead, Services Australia as recipient, a subject line and a single parent signature — supporting the official CS1970 form.
How to Create a Change of Assessment Application
Five steps from an unfair assessment to a Part 6A application Services Australia must consider.
- 1
Identify Your Role and the Children
Enter whether you pay, receive or care for the child, name the other parent and the children, and state the current assessment.
- 2
Choose the Reason
Pick which of the 10 statutory reasons applies — Reason 8 (a parent's income or capacity) is the most common — and say what change you want.
- 3
Build the Reason and the Test (Expert)
The template writes the framework for your reason and the just-and-equitable and otherwise-proper test, and lets you add a second reason.
- 4
Assemble the Evidence (Expert)
Add your financial picture, the special or contact costs, your care percentage, and a numbered schedule of the documents that prove them.
- 5
Lodge and Protect Your Position
Lodge the CS1970 online through myGov with this application as the grounds, ask for backdating, and note the objection-and-ART pathway in case you disagree with the decision.
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Legal Considerations
A change of assessment runs on the 10 statutory reasons and a three-stage fairness test.
This template provides general information for Australian parents and is not legal advice. Change-of-assessment decisions on income and earning capacity can be complex, and a wrong reason can sink an application. For cases involving family violence, complex business structures or international child support, get advice — community legal centres and Legal Aid commissions help with child support matters free of charge.
Reviewed for Australian law
The 10 Reasons and the Three-Stage Test
A change of assessment can be made only for one of the <strong>10 reasons</strong> in section 117 of the <strong>Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth)</strong>, established because of special circumstances. The Registrar must then be satisfied that a change would be <strong>just and equitable</strong> as between the child, the payer and the payee, and that it would be <strong>otherwise proper</strong> (which weighs the effect on government pensions and benefits). The most common reason, <strong>Reason 8</strong>, looks behind a parent's taxable income to their real income, financial resources and earning capacity — the answer to a parent who restructures their affairs to minimise child support.
The Senior Case Officer Process and Backdating
The application is made in writing (form CS1970, online through myGov, or by post or fax). The Registrar serves a copy on the other parent, who can respond or make a cross-application (form CS1971), and a <strong>Senior Case Officer</strong> decides on the documents. A change can be <strong>backdated up to 18 months</strong> before the application — and in limited cases a court can extend that to 7 years — so asking for backdating where the circumstances pre-date your application can recover months of an unfair assessment.
Change of Assessment Is Not an Objection
This is the distinction Australian parents most often get wrong. A <strong>change of assessment</strong> is a fresh application to depart from the formula in special circumstances. An <strong>objection</strong> is a challenge to a decision the Registrar has already made — including a decision on a change-of-assessment application — and runs to a 28-day deadline under the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988. If you disagree with the decision on this application, that is when you object, and then go to the Administrative Review Tribunal. Using the wrong process loses months.
Related Australian Templates
If Services Australia has already made a decision you disagree with — on your assessment, your care percentage, or this very change-of-assessment application — use our child support objection template, which runs the 28-day objection and the ART pathway. For a private agreement on child support, see our child support agreement; for a Centrelink Family Tax Benefit decision, our Centrelink review request; and for a debt raised against you, our Centrelink debt dispute letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Change an Unfair Assessment — On the Right Reason
Create your change-of-assessment application in minutes: the statutory reason, the just-and-equitable test, the financial and care evidence, and the backdating and review pathway — in formal Australian format. Download the PDF free, or unlock Expert for the full reason, evidence and process sections.
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