A NAP is any payment made directly by the paying parent to the other parent, or on behalf of the children, instead of going through Services Australia.

Examples include:

• Paying school fees directly to a school,

• Buying uniforms, clothing, or books,

• Paying rent or utilities for the parent the children live with,

• Covering medical or dental costs.

When Do NAPs Count Towards Child Support?

For a NAP to reduce your official child support amount, it usually must:

• Be registered with Services Australia, and

• Fall under an approved category (e.g. education, medical, housing).

Without registration, these payments may be seen as voluntary extras.

Example:
Mark buys his son a $500 laptop for school and pays the school directly. If this is registered and approved, it may reduce his child support debt. If not, it will be treated as a gift on top of his regular payments.

When NAPs Don’t Count

Some payments won’t reduce child support, even if they benefit the child. Common examples include:

• Cash gifts given without approval,

• Luxury items (new phone, gaming console),

• Paying for holidays.

These are seen as voluntary and do not reduce obligations.

Risks of Relying on NAPs

• If not approved, they may leave the paying parent short (having paid twice — once in NAPs, once through formal child support).

• They can also cause disputes if one parent believes they should count, while the other disagrees.

Key Takeaway

NAPs can be useful for covering direct costs, but parents should register them with Services Australia to avoid disputes. Otherwise, they may not reduce official child support obligations and could be treated as extra gifts.