Who Pays Child Support In Split Custodial Arrangements?

Noblesville divorce lawyerQuestion:

My child support question deals with split custodial arrangements.

One child lives with me and our other child lives with my ex-wife. When using my state’s child support calculator, it calculates payment for both of us.

How is child support calculated when there is a split custodial arrangement with one child living with mom while the other lives with dad?

Answer:

I am unable to give you legal advice on divorce. I can give general divorce help for men, though, my knowledge is based on Indiana divorce laws where I am licensed to practice.

Where I practice, a parent’s child support obligation is determined based on what each parent earns, the number of children, and the amount of overnights the child is in each parent’s care. Other factors such as the cost of health insurance for the children and the cost of work related child care are also considered.

The child support obligation worksheet may list a child support obligation for each parent. For example, Father’s child support obligation may be $200 per week and Mother’s child support obligation may be calculated as $150 per week. Therefore, Father would pay $50 per week to Mother in child support.

How Much Should You Be Paying?

Child Support Calculators

However, since one child lives with each parent in your case, that is handled a bit differently. There are no set guidelines in my state for dealing with this situation, but traditionally divorce lawyers have dealt with this situation by running two separate child support obligation worksheets, one with the father getting 98+ overnights and one with the mother getting 98+ overnights per year and netting the two amounts.

There have been instances, however, where we have made arguments for deviations from the state’s Child Support Guidelines to allow the parent who would be paying support to instead pay a controlled expense for the children instead of paying child support.

Remember, I am unable to provide you with anything more than divorce tips for men, so please consult with a divorce lawyer in your jurisdiction.

To arrange an initial consultation to discuss divorce rights for men with a Cordell & Cordell attorney, including Noblesville, Indiana Divorce Lawyer Sara Pitcher, contact Cordell & Cordell.

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