What is child support?
Child support is financial support provided by the noncustodial parent. Child support includes • Cash payments (based on the parent’s income and the needs of the child) • Health insurance for the child (medical support) • Payments for child care, and • Payments for reasonable health care costs that are not covered by health insurance. Family court officials (support magistrates) determine the amount of child support the noncustodial parent will pay (see how much, below). Under New York State law, parents are responsible for supporting their child until the child is 21 years old. Every child is entitled to financial and emotional support from both parents. This is true even if the child’s parents do not live together and were never married. If you are the parent of a child, New York law says you are responsible for the financial support of that child until the child is 21, even if you have never lived with the child or do not live with the child now. If the child does not live with you,
Child support is money parents pay to help other people support their children. The court orders the support. The support may be part of an interim, temporary, permanent or modified court order in a divorce, paternity action, order for protection, child custody action or a separate child support action. A person can receive child support if: • He or she is the parent of a minor child or has court-ordered custody of a minor child. • The minor child lives in the person’s household. • The child is financially dependent on that person. • One or both of the child’s parents are absent from the home. • The court has ordered the amount of child support. Services provided by the Division of Child Support include: • Locating noncustodial parents. • Paternity establishment. • Establishing court orders for child support and medical support. • Reviewing and modifying court orders for child support. • Enforcing court orders for child support and medical support. • Enforcing alimony if child support
