What is Child Support?
Child support is an ongoing payment by a non-custodial parent to assist with the financial support of their children.
Child support payments are often determined during the process of dissolution of a marriage through divorce, though the only requirements for requesting child support payments are the establishment of paternity and maternity.
MaritalLaws.com is a great resource that has compiled child support laws for all 50 states.
For example, the map below shows states that have Income Share law. Income share is the amount of money dedicated to the child in the household before the separation of the parents. This income share amount can be factored into child support.
Non-Custodial Parent Employment Programs
Gulf Coast JFCS
Having difficulty paying your child support? Do you live in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco-Hernando or Miami-Dade County, FL?
Cornerstone Connections
This program is open to residents of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, and Sumter counties.
Child Support Calculations
Visit our partner’s website for more detailed information on Child Support Calculations.
Additional Helpful Resources
Support Pay is another helpful resource that we have identified.
Support Pay Disclaimer: Please remember that these calculators are for informational and educational purposes only.
Each state has it’s own statutory guidelines that judges use to determine the amount of monthly child support paid by the non-custodial parent. More info here.
The amount of child support a court will order for any particular case may be different from the amount estimated by the calculator. The calculator is giving an estimated average of child support based on previous cases, and external resources. However, you should always check your actual court order before making a decision.
For the most part, these calculators assume that all of the children at issue will primarily live with one parent. They are not intended to estimate child support for joint physical custody or split custody arrangements. For resources on how to reduce stress as a single parent, check out this blog post.
These calculators do not take into account any possible adjustments for children who are not subject to the custody order, but who are living with one of the parents. Finally, these calculators may be based on older or outdated state guidelines or calculations and may not take into consideration state or federal tax implications on income. Make sure to check with your state's guidelines to know what the latest updates are.
If you would like to access more state resources, check out State Child Support Resouces page.
These and many other factors can affect a child support order entered by a court.
For more information on what goes in a child support order entered by a court, check out our blog post about court orders.