Child support is important for children because it helps to give them the things they need. When you and your child’s other parent aren’t together any longer, one parent will usually have to pay child support to the parent who has the child the majority of the time. There are several factors that go into determining how much child support must be paid.
One of the factors that comes into the picture is the income of you and your ex. Child support formulas are based on income, so parents who earn more money are expected to pay more than parents who earn less money.
Other factors also come into the picture. These include the needs of the child, the assets of the parents and what other items need to be included in the child support order. The court can order a parent to keep health insurance on the child. It can also require that the parents pay non-covered medical expenses in a specific way.
You can sometimes come up with a child support agreement as part of a child custody mediation. If this occurs, you and your ex must ensure that the agreement meets child support guidelines; however, this option does give you a bit more flexibility in how the payments are set up.
Child support payments can sometimes be difficult for parents to pay. It is imperative that you try to pay according to the order so you don’t face legal issues. You might have the option of trying to have the order modified if your circumstances changed and that is why you aren’t able to pay the child support as ordered.
Source: FindLaw, “Child Support Basics,” accessed March 24, 2017
