Five Realities of Child Support Payments

1. Child support is the right of the child and cannot be waived even if both parents agree.
2. Judges must deny Divorce Applications unless satisfied that appropriate child support arrangements are in place.
3. The Child Support Guidelines are no longer mandatory once a child turns 18.
4. Child support may be payable for children over 18 if they are still in school full-time or are disabled.
5. Basic child support is based entirely on the payor’s income unless the child is in the care of the paying spouse at least 40% of the time. Contributions to special or extraordinary expenses such as child care are shared proportionate to both parents’ respective incomes after taking into account any tax benefit.

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