Hot Topic

What Needs to Change Urgently Regarding Child Support

Many child support cases end up in court.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

The case of a man from Upper Austria who now receives only 50 euros a month in child support for his two teenage children—down from 580 euros—has caused quite a stir. No wonder, given that more than a third of marriages in Austria end in divorce.

After the children’s mother had not paid child support for a long time, a 55-year-old man from Wels—who is on early retirement for health reasons—received 580 euros a month from the government for his two children (ages 11 and 13). However, since the mother returned to work, the child support has been calculated based on her income—and the payment dropped to just 50 euros. 

Money is getting tight for the small family, as the father had to move into a larger and more expensive apartment. “I don’t understand how this can be,” he wonders. And he wasn’t the only one, as the story was not only widely read but also hotly debated on the krone.at forum (more than 100 comments).

Calculating Exact Needs
One reader writes: “First, a realistic amount must be determined that a child needs to grow up normally. This must include all necessary costs—from food to rent and utility costs for x square meters, furniture, etc.—for one child. That would be the minimum amount that must be paid by the parent who does not provide care for the child.”

The payments urgently need to be adjusted to reflect the actual cost of child care.

Manfred Arthofer, Anwalt Steyregg

Another reader shares his own experiences: “I know both sides. I received child support for my daughter, but on the other hand, I also had to pay child support for two children born out of wedlock. The fact is that the parent with custody of the children doesn’t have to provide proof of how much is spent on the children. My income of 5,200 euros was calculated at 32 percent for two children. That comes to 1,600 euros. No child needs 800 euros a month.”

Lawyer Advocating for Reform
For Steyreggen-based attorney Manfred Arthofer, who also handles many family law cases, the child support regulations urgently need to be reformed. “The payments must be adjusted to reflect the actual amount of care provided. If the person obligated to pay has the children for eight to ten hours a week, they should pay correspondingly less,” he says.

Kommentar der „Krone“

Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet

What begins with butterflies in the stomach often ends with a knot in the gut. Great love turns into great disappointment, and then there’s a legal battle over the children and money. And court decisions can rarely make everyone happy. It would be so much more sensible to reach an agreement, just as adults are expected to do in many other areas of life.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

But lawmakers, too, are called upon to redefine the framework here and establish a minimum standard of justice and equality—regardless of gender.