Child Support Calculator

Using a child support calculator can help determine whether or not you can afford to be the custodial parent of your children after a divorce. In the same thread, it will also determine an estimate of how much money you will be handing over should you surrender most custodial rights of your children.

Child support, along with custodial rights, is one of the biggest disputes when couples with children divorce. Knowing some information before going into meetings can help make the process smoother. Using estimation calculators can give you a rough idea of what is reasonable for someone with your income and circumstances within your state.

Child Support Calculator Guidelines

The most important piece of information regarding the use of calculators is to keep in mind that they are only for estimation purposes. Judges can take other factors into account at their discretion when determining the amount of support. Most calculators are not for use if a joint or split custody agreement has been reached.

Every state has different guidelines regarding the mathematical formula used to figure out support. Due to that, it is hard to find a universal child support calculator. Therefore, a good place to begin looking for calculators is your state’s governmental website, or your state’s version of the Department of Children’s Services.

Information to be Submitted

Depending on the state you live in, you will be required to fill in certain information when using a child support calculator. Most states will require at minimum the number of children involved, net or gross income of parents, and who pays the insurance premiums.

Other items that may be of importance in your state’s calculations include:

• Amount of time spent with non-custodial parent
• Child support and/or alimony from a previous marriage
• Cost of daycare to one or both parents
• Amount of insurance (medical, dental, and/or vision) paid
• Ages of children
• Alimony amount agreed upon for current divorce

Sometimes the court will take into account other children living at home, not affected by the court custodial order. Or, the court may look at just information regarding the non-custodial parent in regards to the custodial. To find out the details of your state’s laws, contact a lawyer in your area.

Calculators

Several websites offer links to child support calculators. Again, these are just estimations of child support that may be paid.

• Supportguidelines.com offers links to calculators for each state. Additionally, this site has links for figuring out arrears or back child support and interest owed.
• Divorcehq.com offers calculators by state.
• AllLaw.com has calculators for each state.

To find out about each state’s child support laws and programs, visit the Administration for Children and Families website and click on your state. Most states even have tracking systems for payments made and received.

If you and your ex-spouse agree to a joint custody agreement, different computations will be used to find out who would be required to pay child support. Child support calculators generally cannot be used in these circumstances. Contact a lawyer specializing in child custody in order to learn more about the circumstances regarding monetary compensation in these cases.

Child support calculators can be a financial tool when figuring out the total costs of divorce. Knowing your state’s laws and using them to your benefit can help in your fight to retain your and your children’s rights.

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