Child Support

All parents have a legal duty to support their children. When the parents live together, they meet that obligation by providing directly for their children’s needs. But when they split up, one or both of them can apply for child support, as part of their divorce, through their local child support agency, or in a separate court proceeding.

All states have child support guidelines to give parents and courts a consistent way to calculate the right amount of support. The calculations are primarily based on the parents’ income, but there are significant differences from state to state. Also, all states allow judges to order an amount of support that’s different from the standard calculation in certain situations. But here again, each state has its own rules on when that can happen. 

Calculating Child Support Payments in Your State