During any divorce, one of the first matters that must be discussed in child support. Parents must be responsible for the child’s expenses and financial support, including educational and medical costs. So do you still pay child support with a joint custody agreement?
What Happens When Both Parents Have Joint Custody?
In any case that involves shared physical custody, you’ll want to know who must pay child support. Typically, each parent will still need to pay their share of child support in joint custody situations. Joint custodies can be pretty complicated, though, and parents can be confused about who pays child support.
Obtaining a joint legal custody agreement is one of the first steps in this process. This is founded on the concept of shared parent, which means the parents have to share their roles and responsibilities equally. When both parents have agreed to joint custody, it’s then crucial to establish a child support payment plan moving forward.
The biggest hurdle is figuring out just how much each parent should pay in child support. The court will take the income of each parent into consideration when calculating the appropriate child support amounts. If they are unable to reach an agreement, the court will make the final call based on state guidelines, parenting time and parenting income.
Factors Influencing The Amount Of Child Support
Of course, child support laws will differ from state to state, but they are all designed to ensure the children enjoy the same quality of life after divorce as they experienced while their parents were together. Child support obligations will be determined based upon the following factors.
Parenting Time
Parenting time plays a vital role in estimating monthly child support payments. If there happens to be a non-residential parent, it’s necessary to address the amount of time the child spends with said parent. The number of overnights a child has with each parent will also be taken into account. Most court websites feature a parenting time calculator or worksheet to help parents determine how many overnights they have in a year.
In the event the child support obligations need to be modified, the equivalent care may come into play. This is the time spent with the mother or father without overnight stays. Nevertheless, the parent is still required to spend the same amount of money as if they were bearing the cost of an overnight stay.
Parenting Income
What happens if parents have the same monthly income and close to the same amount of parenting time? In this case, co-parents are typically exempt from paying child support. However, before coming to an agreement, both parents need to make sure this will be in the best interests of their children.
Percentage Of Income Model
This model utilizes a percentage rate of monthly earnings of a parent when determining proper child support obligations. Some states use varying percentage rates for the different income levels of the obligors, while others use the same flat rate for every income level.
Income Shares Model
The income shares model takes into account the number of children combined with the total monthly income of their parents. To divide the obligation between parents, the court will use the proportional contributions of each parent to their combined monthly income.
Conclusion
When joint custody is agreed upon, parents need to know who should pay child support and what the exact amount should be. Whether you are a custodial parent or a non-custodial parent, you must know how child support is determined in joint custody cases. Consider consulting a trusted law firm or legal professionals for legal advice.
Source: “Who Pays Child Support In Joint Custody” Cain and Herren https://cainandherren.com/who-pays-child-support-in-joint-custody/
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