Washington Township Child Support Attorney

Child Support Obligations

In Michigan, parents are obligated to financially provide for their minor children. When it comes to child support, this takes the form of an obligation to pay:

• A base support amount that is adjusted for parenting time;
• Ordinary and additional medical expenses and healthcare coverage; and
• Child care expense obligations.

Generally, these costs are apportioned between a child’s parents based on each party’s percentage share of their combined net income. The court also takes into account the amount of time that the child spends with each parent, as parents who care for a child overnight are automatically presumed to pay for that child’s food and other costs.

Calculating Income

When it comes to calculating child support payments, one of the most important factors that courts take into account is each parent’s net income, which is made up of:

• Wages;
• Overtime pay;
• Commissions and bonuses;
• Earnings from a business, contract, partnership, self-employment, or rental;
• Distributed profits from a pension, retirement account, insurance contract, trust fund, annuity, social security check, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation payments, and disability benefits;
• Military specialty pay, housing, veterans’ administration benefits, or drill pay;
• Tips, royalties, interest, dividends, gratuities, and gambling or lottery winnings;
• Capital gains resulting from recurring transactions; and
• The market value of perks, such as goods, services, or non-cash benefits, including the use of a company car.

After accounting for and adding up these costs, divorcing parents are directed to calculate all applicable deductions, such as alimony paid to a former spouse, income taxes, union dues, non-discretionary retirement contributions, life insurance premiums, portions of a health insurance premium used to cover additional children, and healthcare coverage. The remaining net income is then multiplied by the number of children being supported, after which the court will break the total down into monthly payments that the non-custodial spouse is required to pay. Parents who fail to make payments in accordance with a court order face contempt of court charges, fines, wage garnishment, and even jail time.

Non-Parent Custodians

When a non-parent is caring for a couple’s children, both parents are required to pay child support. In these cases, each parent’s base support obligation will be calculated based on individual income and the cost of medical expenses and healthcare.

Contact Our Office Today for Legal Assistance

If you have decided to file for divorce and have children with your spouse, you will need to grapple with a host of complicated issues, including child support and parenting time arrangements. For help, please contact the dedicated Washington Township child support attorneys at Iafrate & Salassa by calling (586) 263-1600 today.