Child Support

Child support is a legal obligation for both parents to financially support their children. The parents can privately agree on an amount or go through in Court regarding child support. Without an agreement, the Court decides the monthly amount of support owed by the non-custodial parent to the parent with custody. In a shared custody case the higher earning parent must contribute child support to the parent earning less. The custody schedule and/or custody order is the guideline as to which parent will have to pay support based on the number of overnights and time spent by a child or children with each parent.

The amount of child support owed by one parent to another parent is governed by Support Guidelines and formulas which determine the net monthly income available to each parent for support of his/her child(ren). Even though there are charts or guidelines to objectively calculate the Order, there are many finer details that may impact upon the final amount of the support order. For example, if the payor/Defendant has other obligations to other children under different docket numbers this may reduce on the amount of the Order. Courts can deviate on an amount based on factors that are subjective. It is critical to present the case based on the law, facts and the details that can make a tremendous difference in an order.

High income cases involve an additional analysis and can involve time consuming preparation. In higher income cases the custodial parent might end up paying the non-custodial parent due to large differences in income.