The Inland Revenue Department has opened consultation on proposed improvements to how it administers child support.

IRD says the Government wants to give New Zealanders more certainty about their financial situation during the year.

For child support customers this means knowing what support they are entitled to, and what their payment obligations are, more accurately throughout the year. Payments would adapt more quickly when someone’s circumstances changed.

The main proposal is to base payments on more recent information about both parents’ income.  Child support payments would be deducted from the salary or wages of all liable parents.

Private arrangements, such as one parent paying school fees, could be accepted as part of child support.

Consultation is open until 15 September 2017.