How,Child,Support,Calculated,W family How is Child Support Calculated?

A lot of women avoid wearing nice clothes when they getpregnant because they believe that they look fat or ugly. You know that there’snothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman glowing and smiling, so youshouldn’t hide your body during p Raising a family can be challenging and stressful at times. However, the common goals and emotional, financial, and physical investments made can be a common bond between husband and wife. One that compliments their marriage relationship.Of

Q: What factors areconsidered into child support calculation?Each state has its own method of calculating child support.  In most states the calculated amount willdepend on the incomes of both parents which is called the Income Shares formulaor the income of absent parent alone which is called the Percentage of IncomeFormula.  In just a few states the moneythat gets paid out in monthly expenses is taken into consideration before achild support award is determined.  Thatcalculation is called the Melson Formula and it is used only in the states of Delaware,Hawaii, and Montana.Q: What income is used to calculate child support?Child Support should take into account all income which can includemultiple jobs, bonuses, commissions, rental incomes, etc.  It should not be limited to a paycheck or asingular paycheck.  Unfortunately manypaying parents do not report their entire incomes and parents receiving thechild support sometimes have trouble proving that there is more income than theabsent parent lets on or is given the opportunity to have the facts heard incourt.  My clients are always coached onthis process.  There are proven ways toassert yourself in court and parents on the receiving end should learn them orthey stand the risk of being walked over in the process.Q: Are child support guidelines simply guidelines or must weadhere to them?Child support guidelines are simply a rule of thumb which is designed toprovide a basic standard of support for absent parents to provide for theirchildren.  Of course there is nothingwhich stops an absent parent from paying more than the basic support orderedand provided for by the standard guidelines. The absent parent cannot pay less than what is ordered.  If the two parents agree to deviate from thechild support guidelines whether   higher or lower (and the operative word hereis ‘agree’) then they can arrive at their own arrangement of what works forthem.  The Judge also has a small degreeof wiggle room (usually between 5%-15%) where they can deviate from theguidelines as well.   Q: Do I have to request child support by law orcan I opt out?  That depends on where you live.  Insome states the courts like to see that some level of child support has beenordered.  Not that it really mattersbecause most child support orders aren’t worth the paper that they are printedon but perhaps it gives the administration a temporary ‘feel good’ moment.  To get out of it the custodial parent mayhave to assure the court that the child will be adequately supported.  In other states it’s entirely up to you ifyou don’t want to petition for child support. Either way it’s important to know that whether you petition for childsupport or not, that decision does not affect custody or visitation rights. Youare not free and clear of the other parent unless their parental rights havebeen severed. Q: Can I negotiate a one-time settlement for child support?This question comes with a short answer followed by an extremely complexone.  The short answer is yes you cannegotiate a one time settlement.  Let mebegin by telling the short version of a similar situation that I helped aclient through.  Wanda (not her realname) had a child out of wedlock with a married celebrity.  They negotiated a $500,000 (back in the 90’s)one-time settlement for her to go away and take the baby with her, agree tonever petition for child support and never to darken his door step again –which I think she would have done had he not stiffed her.  They signed a contract; his attorney gave herthe $10,000 down payment with the balance to be delivered by a certaindate.  He did not deliver.  She begged for the money, she pleaded for themoney, she was ignored.  She ended up onwelfare after spending over $90,000 of her own money trying to take thischaracter back and forth to civil court. By the time I got involved she was destitute.  The happy ending is that I was able to helpher.  It took almost 3 years to muddlethrough the mess but in the end, she got PAID. I say all of this say that depending on the circumstances it very wellmay be the best bet but you MUST be able to forecast adequately the needs ofthe child from now until college graduation (or more if there are disabilitiesinvolved).  For beginners – there are thebasic of food, clothing and shelter. Then there are medical concerns – health insurance, unpaid medical thatthe insurance does not cover, tuition, school expenses, work related childcare, emergencies not foreseen, etc, etc. Do to proper projections; you would need an excellent team ofprofessionals.  A contract attorney, aFamily law attorney, a Child Support Coach and an Accountant.  Who’s going to pay the price for all of theseheads?  If he is the one who wants you togo away then he should be the one to pay for it all and make it canhappen.  It can be best for all concernedbut be careful not to leave yourself open to loopholes.   Good Luck