Child Support
Child support is the financial contribution one parent makes to the other for the support of their children. Child support may be ordered in divorces, dissolutions, legal separations, and actions to establish paternity. It is ordered by the court or established by agreement of the parties in an amount that should allow the child to enjoy the standard of living he or she would have enjoyed had the parents remained married.
Q. Which parent pays child support to the other parent?
A. Usually, the “non-residential” or “non-custodial” parent pays child support to the “residential” parent.
Q. How is child support calculated?
A. Unfortunately, since calculating child support varies greatly by state, this question is not one that can be answered simply. Child support is calculated by using a state specific formula which determines each parent’s percentage of the adjusted gross income.
Q. What about day care expenses or health insurance costs?
A. The cost of day care expenses or health insurance costs are either figured into the child support statutes or may be allowed to be taken as a deduction depending upon which state you reside in.
Q. Can support be modified?
A. Either parent may request that his or her child support be modified if there is a change in circumstances. This request for modification can be done by contacting an attorney or the child support enforcement agency of the county in which the support order was issued.