By 1news.co.nz
A new law on child support payments for sole parents has passed, giving some families an extra median $20 a week.
The law will see weekly child support payments collected by Inland Revenue passed on directly to eligible sole parents from July 1.
Currently child support payments are collected and used to offset the cost of the benefit paid to parents on the sole parent rate.
Parents will also no longer be required to apply for child support to receive their benefits.
“This change is estimated to lift as many as 14,000 children out of poverty,” Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni said. “The first payments will be passed on to parents from August 22, 2023.
“We firmly believe that money intended for children should not be withheld by the Government, and go towards their well-being.”
Revenue Minister David Parker added that the move will see sole parents “treated the same” as other beneficiaries.
“If parents know that the child support they pay will get to their own children, it will also encourage more parents to pay,” he said.
