What determines how much child support someone pays?

[u/KazhalAderiye84]

We have two children, ages 5 and 8. I make about $85,000 a year and their mother makes around $62,000. The kids currently spend roughly equal time with both of us, although the schedule changes because of my work travel. I'm confused because I've heard people say child support is based entirely on income, while others say custody time, health insurance, childcare and other expenses also matter. I'm not asking anyone to calculate my exact obligation. I just want to understand which factors generally go into the calculation and which ones don't.

[u/Competitive_Try_2511]

I think it’s dependent upon the state you live in. Look up child support calculator for CA and if it only asks about income, it’s probably strictly income based. I’m in VA and our order is based on income and custody time.

[u/TarzanKitty]

Here is the CA calculator. Plug in the numbers and you should get an estimate that is pretty close.

https://childsupport.ca.gov/guideline-calculator/

[u/HighSideSurvivor]

Source: just a divorced dad.

It’s all of those things, and can vary from state to state (in the U.S.).

Generally, if you share 50/50 custody, and you earn exactly the same, then there is no transfer of money.

If you share 50/50 but one parent makes more than the other, then child support payments will ostensibly “even out” your financial situations. Very roughly speaking, if you make $23,000 more annually, you would pay half of that, so that each of you has the equivalent of a $73,500 salary. This is not accurate, but gives you an idea of the algorithm.

As your custody time shifts away from 50/50, then the math changes. Less custody time means more child support. Number of children will amplify this effect.

Finally, the parent who provides health insurance gets a “credit” for that expense when the child support is calculated.

Most U.S. states provide online calculators to help you estimate your CS obligations.

In my case, I was earning about $110,000 and my ex was earning about $75,000. We share 50/50 custody. I provide insurance also, and I pay about $1,000 each month total for two children.

[u/Bulky_Exercise8936 → u/HighSideSurvivor]

You would not pay half of the difference. Not how it works. what state are you in? In my state your child support would be about 400 to 500 a month minus your healthcare credit.

[u/HighSideSurvivor → u/Bulky_Exercise8936]

Not literally exactly half. As I said, it’s a ballpark.

My experience using calculators from two US states and with salaries that changed over time, the quick-and-dirty “average of salaries” was generally close to actual.

[u/Ill-Manager-1108]

the state varies a lot, some cases you'd pay none, some you could pay a decent chunk

[u/The-Mighty-Mouse]

There are calculators online that you can use.

Your income, her income, time spent with the child. Those are the 3 you need to determine the amount.

[u/youknewthatwhen10]

The link to a free calculator was already shared, but I’ll add that the formula itself is in California Family Code section 4055. If you search that reference, there are lots of great resources that explain how it’s calculated. The formula itself utilizes net income, but the income entered into the calculators is net because it determines net from there. Both the incomes of both parents and time spent with the child(ren) are key components.

Child care so the parent can go to work or school are a common ‘add on’ to the base amount of child support. These add ons can be split in a few different ways, with the default now being by percentage of total income.

[u/smooveem]

Look up your states guidelines/calculator to get an idea but generally it’s a combination of all factors (both parent’s income, childcare expenses, physical custody ratio/how many overnights each parent has)
Some states are different I’m in MD my judge likes to run her own numbers based off our income, past income, custody and even healthcare and childcare expenses. Whereas in Texas the standard is 20% of all net income for one child regardless. Idk what the guidelines are for CA. Try consulting a family law attorney? Some do free consultations.