Is child support an issue in your divorce?

For the most part, child support is governed by state guidelines. The laws differ from state to state but the basic principles of determining the support remain uniform, say sterling divorce lawyers in Virginia Beach, VA. 

In this economy, extra money laying around is just almost unheard of. Getting a divorce can cause you severe financial pain.

To begin with, the income of both parents is considered and the percentage of combined income contributed by each parent usually determines the amount of child support. In some states the parent’s gross income is considered while in other states the amount of support is determined based on the parent’s net income.

Deductions

Divorce attorneys in Virginia point out that if a parent already makes alimony or child support payments as a result of a previous divorce then he/she is allowed to deduct the amount from their income. However, there are two conditions. The alimony must be a court-ordered payment and not something that is voluntary. Secondly, the parent must actually be paying the support.

Childcare expenditure

While determining child support in divorce disputes courts take into account childcare expenses that a working parent will potentially incur. The parent will have to provide daycare expenses or pay baby sitters to look after the kids while at work. In some states people providing care to dependents are eligible for federal income tax exemptions while in some states parents are entitled to state income tax exemptions.

Unfortunately, divorce lawyers in Virginia Beach, VA know that there is a realistic chance this baby will end up in an unhappy home. 

Now if you want to see someone who needed a babysitter you should watch the movie The Nice Guys (or not!). There are some boring and colorless scenes in this movie that makes you wonder who actually wrote that scene but that is beside the point. One of the main characters was Holland March (Ryan Gosling) who dragged his daughter around (well, she refused to go home since in this world, the kids tell the parents what’s up) when it was clear that his work was not kid related.

March needed a baby sitter. That was child abuse and his daughter could have died several times. This is one aspect that made this movie somewhat ridiculous.

Healthcare expenditure

The child support order must clarify who will pay for medical insurance and other healthcare expenses. The insurance amount is added to child support. In many states the paying spouse is ordered to make small payments additionally to cover petty healthcare expenses that are not covered by insurance. 

All these expenses add up. It does not help that Obamacare has increased the costs for health care for most Americans either. Not impressive!

Other expenses

There are various other expenses considered while determining child support. For instance, a child might be specially gifted in a particular field and therefore may need special training. On the other hand, a child may be physically or mentally challenged and may have to visit a far off institute to get special education. In such a situation, the travel and visitation costs are divided among the parents.

Impact of shared custody and visitation on child support

State guidelines take into account the amount of time a child spends with a parent to determine the amount of support. For instance, if a non-custodial parent spends more time with the children then he/she will incur more expenses in order to provide adequate support.

If the parents share custody and spend equal amount of time with the kids the expenses will be much less (well, for at least one of the parents at least) than in cases where a single parent has custody and the other parent gets visitation for a limited amount of time, in the opinion of divorce lawyers in Virginia Beach, VA.

While these are the basic guidelines there could be a few exceptions when it comes to determining child support. If you need help with child support make sure to reach out to a Virginia divorce lawyer. Your legal counselor will help you get a clear idea about financial responsibilities in the aftermath of your divorce.

If you need legal help press right here Divorce.USAttorneys.com. If you have any issues, contact us. We will call you back perhaps that same day.