How is child support calculated?
Under federal law, each state is required to implement uniform guidelines for the calculation of child support within each state. These guidelines vary significantly from state to state but they are all generally based on the parents’ incomes and expenses and the amount of time the children are shared between the parties. In general, California’s child support guidelines are known to be among the highest guidelines in the United States, which means that parents in California who are ordered to pay child support are paying at the highest levels of any state in the United States.In California, guideline child support is calculated by the court with the assistance of court-approved computer programs such as Dissomaster or XSpouse. The guideline formula for calculating child support payments is complicated and is not easily unraveled without an attorney.
A. Child support guidelines are based on what the family would have spent for the child’s cares had the parents not separated. Some things that are considered when calculating child support are the gross income of each parent, the age and needs of each child, the number of overnight visits with each parent, extraordinary expenses such as work related child care and health insurance costs, and whether either parent has a duty to support another older child of a different relationship or previous spouse.
Child support payments are calculated using a formula. When calculating how much child support you will pay or receive, there are several factors that are taken into consideration including both parents’ income, how many children the parents have and their ages (using the cost of children table). We also take into account if each parent has another child support case or a second family and the amount of time the children are in your care. The basic formula applies to parents with one child support assessment and no other dependent children. This is the formula we use for most child support assessments. A slightly different formula applies when a parent has more than one case and usually takes a few more steps to work out how much child support parents will pay or receive. More information about the child support formula and family assistance, including detailed examples of how the basic formula is calculated using tables and worksheets (PDF 187k) are now available online.
Child support is based on Child Support Guidelines in New Jersey. Generally speaking, it is determined by taking the income of each of the parties, along with a number of other factors, and then using various formulae as established by a committee of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Besides including the income of the parties, the amount of time that each party spends with their children is also a factor so that, in some sense, the more time that a parent spends with the children, the lower his or her child support obligation will be. There are also several other factors that go into the equation, including the requirement to pay child care. The only way to make an accurate determination as to how much the child support obligation will be is to have all the necessary information available, and then utilize the guidelines step-by-step, in order to find the definitive amount.
