Question:
My ex-wife wants me to pay all of the children’s health insurance costs in addition to child support. That would be easily exceed 50% of my net income.
Can the total amount of child support and health insurance costs be more than half of my pay?
Answer:
First, let me preface my answer by stating that I am not licensed in the state of Missouri, although Cordell & Cordell does have attorneys who are licensed in the state of Missouri that would be happy to discuss your case with you.
Every state has different statutes regarding child support and how it is calculates child support, what it should cover, how long you should pay it, etc. In some states, child support is calculated off of your gross income and the Court does not even pay attention to your net pay. Some Courts believe that you should pay child support first and everything else second.
You should speak to an attorney in your jurisdiction for specific advice on how Missouri calculates child support and if there are any limits to child support.
Jason Bowman is an attorney in the Louisville, Kentucky, office of Cordell & Cordell. He is licensed in the states of Kentucky and Texas. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Louisville, and received his Juris Doctor from Texas Wesleyan University.
