How Is Child Support Calculated in California?

1
How is Child Support Calculated in California?
A Guide to Californias Child Support Rules
2
UNDERSTANDING CHILD SUPPORT
3
Child support is paid any time a child is not
being raised together by two parents
4
Child support is based on the premise that it is
each childs fundamental right to receive
support from both his mother and his father
5
Child support cannot be waived in a prenuptial
agreement and a parent may be required to pay
child support even if he or she has no visitation
or contact with the children
6
A Standard Formula is Used
7

• A standard formula is used to determine the
  amount of child support
• a parent in California must pay

8
Child support is generally not independently
negotiated in a divorce settlement as the formula
is used to ensure every child gets the support he
or she needs
9
Any attempts to deviate from the standard formula
would need to be justified
10
A lesser child support payment than determined by
the formula would generally not be permitted
although a parent could pay more support than is
required
11
A Calculator Determines Your Support Obligation
12
Because the formula used to determine the amount
of child support required is a complex formula, a
calculator is used to determine the amount of
support that a parent must pay
13
The calculator is called the Dissomaster
14
The variables relevant to your situation must be
entered into the Dissomaster, which will
determine the support obligation
15
Factors that affect child support
16

• A variety of different factors are used in
  Californias child support formula to determine
  the amount that must be paid

17
These factors include
18
(No Transcript)
19
The Number of Children You Have is Important
20

• The number of children you have is also a factor
  in the amount of support that you are required to
  pay

21

• If you have children from a prior marriage or
  relationship that you are already paying support
  to, this will be taken into account when using
  the Dissomaster calculator

22
The more children you have, the larger the
support obligation
23
A Childs Special Needs Are a Factor
24
If your child has special needs that result in
more costly care, such as in situations where
your child is disabled, this is taken into
account when calculating your child support
obligations
25
You Must Pay the Required Child Support Amount
26
Once the appropriate amount of child support is
determined, a child support order will be created
27
You must pay the required amount of child
support or could face consequences including
28
(No Transcript)
29
Child support payments are often deducted
directly from your paycheck and paid out to the
recipient parent
30
What If You Need to Change Your Child Support
Payments?
31
If you need to make a change to your child
support payments, you will need to petition to
have the support order changed
32
There must be a material change in circumstances
in order for your child support obligations to be
altered
33
An experienced divorce and family law attorney
should be consulted to assist with changing your
child support obligations
34
We invite you to contact us at [phone] to
schedule a consultation
Content provided by Best Legal Practices
Click to visit www.FamilyLawGroup.com