Bloomfield Child Support Attorney

Child Support Obligations

Child support includes a base support obligation amount that takes into account parenting time, as well as payments for the:

• General care and needs of a child;
• Medical support; and
• Child care expenses.

In determining how much each parent will owe in child support, the court must first evaluate each party’s net income, which includes:

• Wages, overtime pay, commissions, and bonuses;
• Earnings generated from a business, contract, or partnership;
• Earnings from rentals;
• Distributed profits from a pension, insurance policy, retirement plan, trust fund, social security, unemployment, disability benefits, or workers’ compensation;
• Military pay, housing, G.I. benefits, and veterans’ administration benefits;
• Tips, interest, dividends, royalties, or gambling lottery winnings;
• Capital gains from recurring transactions;
• Any money due or owed by someone else; and
• The market value of prerequisites received as goods or services, such as housing, meals, personal use of a company car, room and board, and reimbursement.

Determining a person’s income usually requires examination of a series of documents, including:

• Business tax returns;
• Balance sheets;
• Banking records;
• Accounting records; and
• Other business documents.

Certain types of funds are not considered income, such as property or principal from an inheritance or a one-time gift. However, any interest earned on inherited property and gifts is considered income for the purposes of calculating child support. Furthermore, any gifts, such food, shelter, transportation, or money received from relatives or friends will also be calculated as income if the gift:

• Is significant and regularly reduces personal expenses; or
• Replaces or supplements employment income.

Finally, any payments received for the support of children not in common with the other spouse, will not be considered income. Once a parent’s net income has been determined, the court will calculate each parent’s obligations.

Calculating Child Support Obligations

Support obligations are divided between the parents based on each party’s percentage share of their combined net incomes. However, this sum will be offset by the amount of time each parent spends with the children. This calculation is based on the presumption that parents who spend more time with their children will most likely directly contribute to a greater portion of their expenses. With this understanding, the court uses a child support formula that offsets the costs and savings associated with childcare.

Schedule a Consultation With an Experienced Bloomfield Family Law Attorney Today

To speak with a skilled and compassionate family law attorney about your own child support concerns, please contact the legal team at Iafrate & Salassa by calling (586) 263-1600. You can also reach us by sending an email with a brief description of your case.