Calhoun and Calhoun (Child support)

The matter of *Calhoun and Calhoun* concerned an appeal to the Child Support Registrar regarding a decision about child support payments. The primary dispute revolved around the father's liability for child support, specifically whether his current income fell below the rate of a Parenting Payment single.

The central legal issue before the Registrar was to determine whether the father's adjusted taxable income for the relevant child support period was less than the rate of a Parenting Payment single, as defined by the *Social Security Act 1991* (Cth). This determination was crucial for assessing his child support obligations under the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth).

The Registrar affirmed the initial decision, finding that the father's adjusted taxable income did not meet the threshold to reduce his child support liability to zero. The reasoning applied involved a careful calculation of the father's income and a comparison against the prescribed rate of the Parenting Payment single. The Registrar concluded that the evidence presented did not support a finding that the father's income was below the relevant benchmark for a reduction in his assessed child support liability.