How is child support determined?

Federal mandates specify certain guidelines which are followed by the state governments to determine child support. However, rules vary state wise but the guidelines make the subject of child support consistent and predictable.

This type of loyalty and trust, unfortunately, may soon end. 

Income

Macon, GA divorce lawyers point out that the courts calculate child support after considering the income of both parents. The courts then calculate a percentage based on the combined income of the couple.

For this, the court will request the couple to provide a comprehensive financial statement detailing their income and expenses, following which they will use certain methods provided under the guidelines to determine an appropriate amount for the well-being of the child or children in question.

Your legal pro will be able to give you a rough idea of the child support amount that you will be asked to pay or likely to receive.

Macon, GA divorce lawyers have seen children put through terrible situations.  

The book and the movie The Lone Survivor showed the incredible heroism of 4 navy SEALS who killed many terrorists while being attacked. The only survivor was Marcus Luttrell. He survived to tell the story and how he survived was just incredible. But that is another topic. None of these young men who died had children but if they did they would receive or should receive some financial support from the military and special donations for making that type of sacrifice. Now this is different than a marriage divorce but these young men, who knew the risks, were actually divorced from their lives.

No Macon, GA divorce lawyers needed here but other type of support came in and should have came in to help a spouse or family member out. The movie made millions of dollars in profits, perhaps some of that was sent to the family and the proceeds from Marcus Luttrell’s book helped out the families as well and Marcus for what he went through.

Deductions

If a particular parent is already paying alimony or child support from a previous legal situation, they can deduct the amount from their income. However, according to the guidelines you will qualify for a deduction if you are providing court ordered financial support. Moreover, you will be denied a deduction if the support is only on paper and you have not paid anything. This means you will have to provide proof that you actually paid the amount.

This also means that if you are even considering that your marriage is not going so well, you need legal help. You do not need to go through naval SEAL training to understand or to be able to endure the experience of using this website which is Divorce.USAttorneys.com. This website is set up to be convenient and user friendly.

This baby may have to go back and forth between households. 

Childcare Expenses

Georgia divorce attorneys reiterate the fact that state laws also take into account child care expenses. Working parents will have to spend an amount for childcare on a regular basis. This amount too is considered while calculating child support. The expense is also exempted from federal and state income taxes.

Healthcare Expenses

Courts require one of the parents to be responsible for healthcare expenses. The amount of health insurance is added to the child support order.

Under many state guidelines there is a provision for adding additional healthcare expenses to the basic amount, which is also known as pocket expenses. Also considered are extraordinary medical expenses, which are out-of-pocket medical costs that exceed the basic cost of healthcare, according to Macon, GA divorce lawyers.

Other Expenses

A child might have an exceptional gift which needs special coaching or guidance hence these expenses are considered as well. Additionally, handicapped children need special educational institutes which are costly and these too are added. The cost of travel for visitation by a child or parent is also included in the settlement and is shared by the parents. However, the non-custodial parent is issued a credit at a later stage. Parents must make the courts aware if there are children with special needs so that the courts can take steps to add the amount to the child support.

Visitation and Shared Custody Guidelines

State guidelines determine support by taking into account the total amount of time the child is spending with both parents. This means that a non-custodial parent that spends more time with the child will have to pay more child support. 

If you have any issues with child support, custody, alimony, or any other matter, make sure to reach out to a Georgia divorce lawyer.

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