Parents have a legal obligation to provide financial support to their children. When parents live apart, one usually makes periodic payments to the other to meet the child’s needs.
Calculating child support in Southbury requires applying the proper formula and making the appropriate deviations. The process can get complicated, but a skilled child support attorney can help.
Connecticut bases child support on an income-shares model. The law assumes families with similar incomes expend a similar percentage of their earnings on their children.
The child support guidelines try to ensure that a child receives the same amount of support when their parents live separately as they would if their family lived together. Parents must determine their weekly gross income, including the following:
Other forms of income may not be counted in the gross income calculation. A Southbury child support attorney can review a parent’s calculations to ensure they include all the required sources of income.
Once the parents have calculated their gross income, they must subtract expenses like taxes, mandatory employer deductions from their paychecks, and the cost of court-ordered life or disability insurance. The result is their net income. A parent’s basic child support obligation is their prorated share of the couple’s combined weekly net income.
The first step is to establish each parent’s contribution to the couple’s weekly net income. The couple then must make adjustments based on their specific circumstances. The number of children each parent supports makes a difference, and the costs of childcare and unreimbursed medical expenses may impact the child support payment.
Once the parents apply any necessary adjustments, there may be grounds for deviation from the formula amount, such as the following:
A Southbury lawyer can review the parents’ situations and determine whether a deviation from the child support formula calculation amount is appropriate.
Connecticut’s child support guidelines apply to parents with combined weekly incomes between $400 and $4000, so adjustments may sometimes be necessary. When the parents’ combined income falls below these parameters, child support may be adjusted to ensure the paying parent has sufficient resources to meet their needs.
When couples have a higher income, the formula amount is the starting point, but the final child support payment is likely to be higher so that the children do not experience a reduced standard of living when their parents separate.
Couples often reach an agreement on child support without judicial intervention. The calculation of child support is often part of the comprehensive negotiation concerning property division and child custody. Although all parties benefit from settling disagreements out of court, a judge must still review and approve the child support agreement.
The couple who has agreed on child support must file a completed child support worksheet along with documents verifying the information used in the calculations with the court. A seasoned family attorney can compile supporting documents to ensure the submission is accurate and complete. The judge will review and confirm that any adjustments or deviations are necessary and appropriate and that the final payment amount serves the children’s best interests.
When the judge approves the parents’ agreement, the court issues it as a final court order. In most cases, the judge will require the direct deduction of the child support payment from the paying parent’s wages or other income source.
Plugging numbers into a formula seems like it would be easy, but determining an appropriate child support amount can be complicated. Most couples need help from an experienced lawyer.
Reach out to our firm for assistance in calculating child support in Southbury. We will ensure your numbers are accurate and help you make a proper submission to the court. Get in touch today.
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