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Child Support California – How is it Calculated?

Child Support California - How is it Calculated

Child Support California

If you are getting divorced and you have a child involved in your marriage, probably you are already worried about your child’s needs. This is how parents should think. The US government thinks this way as well. This is why we have laws complex for child support payments. And these laws show some changes in different states of the US. In this article, we will look into the Child Support California laws and details. So, if you live in this state and will be dealing with such cases, you should take a look. Let’s get into the details of Child Support California.

Child support payments exist to make sure that every child has access to everything a child should have. While a divorce splits the usual family life, at least these support payments prevent financial shortcomings in children’s lives. This purpose applies to Child Support California Calculations as well.

Details of Child Support California

Child Support California requires parents to make monthly payments that cover all the expenses of the child. Although the child support payments are typical to be made to the parent who lives with the child by the other parent, it is important to remember that actually both parents are required to provide the child with a certain amount of financial support. And in some cases where the child spends a lot of time with both parents, the court may order both parents to make certain payments.

According to the Child Support California Guidelines, parents are responsible for supporting their children financially until they reach maturity. This rule determines the term of child support payments as well.

Usually, support payments continue until the child in the case becomes 18. However, there are some exceptions. For example, if the child gets married before this age the court can revoke the support order. Similarly, proving that the child lives alone and has enough financial strength can also be a reason for canceling the child support order in effect. Also, in any case, we should mention that if the child joins the military the financial support order will drop.

But not all exceptions shorten the support terms, child support California guidelines also include exceptions for extending the terms. For instance, if the children are studying in high school when they become 18, support extends one additional year. Also, if the child has a disability that would limit their financial options, the court can extend the child support even after the child becomes an adult.

Calculating Child Support California

During a child support case, the court calculates the total financial needs of the child. This total amount includes everything from education costs to food expenses and even toy and trips. Then this total amount is shared between the parents. Because Child Support California Guidelines make the child’s financial needs the responsibility of both parents. However, usually, parents do not share the expenses equally.

The amount of support that each parent will be responsible to provide is calculated based on both their incomes and the time that the child lives with them.

The parent with higher income gets ordered to burden a larger part of child support since it would be easier for them. Also, typically, the parent that spends the most time with the child is considered to spend more on the child’s expenses. Therefore, the other parent is required to balance these spending. So, simply for a child support payor parent, the higher income compared to other parents and the more time spent away from the child, the larger portion of the ordered child support to pay.

With that said, we should also mention that if the parent has an agreement about the payment amounts, their lawyers can tell this to the court and this agreement can change the order. Child Support California allows a parent to accept larger support payments than the court calculates.

Thing to keep in mind while calculating Child Support California

As we said earlier, in California, there are guidelines for child support cases. However, the courts of child support cases are not necessarily forced to stick with these guidelines. Since California, child support guidelines are known to be inaccurate when it comes to covering all the costs, or as not being applicable for every case. Therefore, the courts in the state can determine a completely customized child support scheme for your particular case.

As such cases of Child Support California do not stick with certain models, compared to the cases in other states, it is harder to prepare yourself. In this state, child support cases require negotiations. So, hiring a good child support lawyer is the key to achieving the result you want in California.

A proper child support attorney can prepare you for the case, as well as represent you in the case. So, you should choose your attorney carefully. We have several articles about this topic. You should definitely read those articles before starting to work with a child support lawyer in California.

More Info:

If you are interested in learning more about the key points of child support cases, you can read more from the related links. Also, you can find the most recent updates about the child support California through the company links on the page. We also suggest you check the category pages for more information on child support laws.

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Child Support California – How is it Calculated?
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