Amica Property Settlement NSW — What It Does and Where It Falls Short

Amica is the Australian government's online platform for amicable separations. Built by National Legal Aid with funding from the Attorney-General's Department, it uses AI-assisted guidance to help separating couples work through property division and parenting arrangements without lawyers. For simple separations, it's a useful tool. But its limitations mean it doesn't work for a significant portion of NSW couples.

What Amica Does

Amica walks both parties through a structured process that mirrors the court's four-step property settlement framework:

1. Both parties create accounts and link their profiles
2. Each party enters their financial information — assets, debts, superannuation, and income
3. Amica's AI suggests a percentage split based on the relationship data (length, contributions, future needs factors)
4. Both parties negotiate through the platform, with Amica providing guidance on fair outcomes
5. If agreement is reached, Amica can generate draft agreements or draft consent orders

The platform covers both property settlement and parenting arrangements, and handles basic superannuation splitting for standard accumulation funds.

What It Costs

Amica's pricing structure has three tiers:

• Free trial: Explore the platform and input basic financial data at no cost
• Agreement generation: $270 + GST for a written agreement (not legally binding without conversion to consent orders)
• Draft consent orders: $900 + GST for Amica to generate draft consent orders ready for filing with the FCFCOA

You still pay the FCFCOA's $215 filing fee on top of Amica's charges. Total cost for consent orders through Amica: approximately $1,115 + GST.

Where Amica Works Well

Amica is a good fit when:

• Both parties are communicating and willing to negotiate in good faith
• The asset pool consists of standard items — the family home, bank accounts, accumulation super funds, personal property, and straightforward debts
• There are no business interests, trusts, or complex financial structures
• Neither party is trying to hide assets or dominate the negotiation
• The split is reasonably balanced (close to 50/50 or with a modest adjustment)

For a couple with a house, two accumulation super accounts, a car each, and some shared debts, Amica handles the process competently and at a fraction of the cost of hiring lawyers.

Where Amica Falls Short

The platform explicitly cannot handle:

Discretionary trusts and family trusts. If either party is a trustee, appointor, or beneficiary of a discretionary trust, Amica can't include that interest in the property pool. Trust interests are one of the most contested areas in Australian family law, and their valuation requires expert analysis.

Company interests and business structures. Shareholdings in private companies, partnership interests, and business assets can't be processed through Amica. Valuing a business for property settlement purposes requires financial statements, BAS records, and often an independent business valuation.

Self-managed super funds (SMSFs). Standard accumulation funds work fine in Amica, but SMSFs — which may hold direct property, unlisted investments, or collectibles — can't be valued or split through the platform.

Bankruptcy or insolvency. If either party is bankrupt or subject to insolvency proceedings, Amica can't handle the interaction between family law property rights and bankruptcy trustee claims.

Complex superannuation. Defined benefit funds (CSS, PSS, military super) require actuarial valuations that Amica doesn't perform. The platform handles basic accumulation fund splits but can't manage the complexity of defined benefit calculations.

Spousal maintenance. Amica doesn't handle spousal maintenance claims, which require a separate assessment of each party's income, expenses, and capacity to pay.

Amica vs a Comprehensive DIY Approach

Amica provides the negotiation platform and generates documents. What it doesn't provide is the financial planning framework that comes before negotiation — the worksheets for building a complete balance sheet, the contribution assessment methodology, the tax optimization strategy for stamp duty and CGT, and the step-by-step guidance for handling the property transfer through PEXA and Revenue NSW.

For couples whose situation falls within Amica's capabilities, using Amica for the negotiation and document generation alongside a comprehensive process guide for the financial planning and execution stages is an efficient combination.

For couples with any of the excluded elements — trusts, businesses, SMSFs, defined benefit super, or maintenance claims — Amica isn't an option, and a more detailed approach is needed from the start.

The NSW Divorce Financial Split Guide covers the full spectrum — from simple asset pools that Amica handles to complex structures it can't — with worksheets, checklists, and step-by-step instructions for every stage of the property settlement process.

See more New South Wales guides →