Dependants

How to add a Dependant

If any of the individuals in the case have dependent children, they should be entered as a Dependant. If the individual has joint custody of a child, they can also be included. Information about dependants is used to estimate the Family Tax Benefits A and B (FTB-A and FTB-B).
To add a Dependant, go to the Current situation (top menu) > Personal details sub-step and click the Add people > Dependant button (left menu)
Do not add as a Dependant:
- Children who are no longer dependent - you do not need to add their details because they are no longer eligible for FTB-A or FTB-B. If you include them, they will have no impact on the analysis.
- A Dependent spouse - this person should be added as an Individual

Modelling options for Dependants

School fees	School fees can be entered at the Cashflows & Goals step in the Expense section. Make sure that you only apply the school fees in the years the child is at school. For more details, see the How to increase or decrease a value in the series builder.
Additional options	How to include the Family Tax Benefit (FTB-A and FTB-A)

Results for Dependants

See Dependants results.

Related items

Other items relating to Dependants

Individual

Strategy Development Service (SDS) and Background adjustment options

If the case includes complex analysis that you are not able to do in Pathfinder yourself, Optimo Support may be able to do some background adjustments to help you get the results you need. Depending on the complexity, this may be included as part of the standard support or additional charges may apply. For more details, please see Modelling outside the scope of Pathfinders' standard modelling.

Some examples of things that are outside the scope of Pathfinder's modelling and how Optimo support can help, are listed below:

Adjustment

Details

Information required by Optimo Support

Examples where additional charges may apply

Child tax rates

This is particularly relevant for cases with a Trust that have children as beneficiaries. People below 18 years of age are subject to different tax rates than adults. Child tax rates are currently out of scope for Pathfinder, so needs to be completed in the Optimo Financial SDS .

The case name
An overview of why the chlid is receiving income and the tax you expect them to pay

Caes with child tax rates are likely to require the Optimo Financial SDS .

As part of the SDS, we can assist you with manual tax adjustments or workarounds. As well, we can set constraints to your scenario to control income, such as specifying how much a child receives as Trust distributions.

Dependants who own items (e.g. assets or income)

If the dependant is over 18, you could consider entering their details in Pathfinder as an Individual. If the Dependant is are under 18, special tax rates may apply, and you should submit the case to the Strategy Development Service (SDS).