Child support is a court-ordered financial obligation where one parent pays the other to help cover the costs of raising their child. Every state has guidelines that determine the amount based on factors like parental income, number of children, custody arrangement, and child-related expenses.
16 steps across 2 sections
1. Steps Process
- Understand Your State's Child Support Model
- Income Shares Model (most states): Considers both parents' incomes and estimates what would have been spent on the child if the family were intact; each parent's share is proportional to their income
- Percentage of Income Model (some states): Uses a set percentage of the non-custodial parent's income based on the number of children
- Melson Formula (DE, HI, MT): Similar to income shares but includes a self-support reserve
- Check your state's specific guidelines and formula
- Gather Income Documentation
- Each parent's gross income: salary, wages, bonuses, commissions
- Other income sources: Social Security benefits, workers' compensation, rental income, investment income, alimony received, self-employment income
- Recent pay stubs (3-6 months)
- Tax returns (last 2-3 years)
2. Key Details
- Duration: Typically until the child turns 18 (or 19-21 in some states, or until high school graduation)
- Income considered: Both parents' income in the income shares model; only non-custodial parent's income in the percentage model
- Deviations: Courts can deviate from guidelines for special needs, high income, or other exceptional circumstances
- Enforcement tools: Wage garnishment, tax refund intercept, license suspension, passport denial, contempt of court
- State calculators: Most states offer free online child support calculators
- Retroactive support: Some states allow child support to be ordered retroactively to the date of filing
Common Mistakes
- Not disclosing all sources of income (courts can impute income based on earni...
- Failing to include childcare and health insurance costs in the calculation
- Not filing for modification when circumstances change (payments continue at t...
- Paying child support informally (cash, gifts) without documentation (these pa...
- Quitting a job or reducing income intentionally to lower child support (court...
Pro Tips
- Use your state's free online child support calculator to estimate your obliga...
- Keep detailed records of all payments made and received
- Always pay through the official state disbursement unit — never directly to t...
- If you lose your job or experience a significant income change, file for modi...
- Both parents should keep copies of all financial documents and court orders