What effect does a shared custody arrangement have on child support?
For purposes of determining child support, shared custody is defined as a parent’s visiting with the child for 123 or more overnights a year. “Shared custody” will result in a different amount of child support than in a sole custody situation. The increased overnights will be figured into the calculations and the parent will receive a “credit” for that time. This is based on the theory that the parent must provide substantial support for the child during the extended visits and therefore the other parent is saved that expense. Joint legal custody, however, has no effect on child support. 7. Question: Can I be granted Joint custody by the court? Answer: If the decision concerning joint custody cannot be reached by you and the other parent, you will have to ask the court to award joint custody. You should first decide whether you want joint legal or physical custody. 1. If you want joint physical custody, you must have a workable schedule to propose. You must also be able to show that yo
