How is child support set in a divorce or family law case?
California has a law which sets the child support amount based on your and your spouse’s (or other parent’s income, if you’re not married) incomes after federal taxes, state taxes, social security, and other mandatory deductions. California Family Code Section 4055 Child support is based on a combination of your and the other parent’s incomes and the amount of time you each spend with the children. If your child has special circumstances, like a health or education problem, that can be taken into account, too. Peace Talks Mediation Services uses a court-approved computer program to calculate the Guideline child support, and we can run these calculations for you in your mediation session if you wish. And, while the Child Support Guidelines are what the court would use, in mediation you’re free to discuss child support based on your situation and your child’s needs, not just a computer program. And, although you’re already divorced, the mediation process is the same. The mediators at Pea
