For New York couples with children, divorce can be complex. Once one or both spouses plan to divorce, the child support will be a major concern to both sides. The main objective is to ensure the child is cared for properly and his or her best interests are served. As the child support amount is determined, it is wise to understand how the basic child support obligation is calculated.
The amount the parents earn is key to a case. With that, the court will determine how much the parents make in combination. The combined income will then be multiplied based on the established percentages and how many children they have. It will be prorated based on the proportions of the parents’ income. If a custodial parent is employed or receiving various forms of education – elementary, secondary, higher education or vocational training – and the court determines that this will result in employment and there are child care expenses due to that training, there will be a reasonable amount of child care expenses calculated in the parents’ income.
The parties might also be obligated to provide health care coverage with the payment of cash medical support. When a parent is trying to find a job and accrues child care costs, the court can also decide that this will be apportioned between the custodial parent and the noncustodial parent. Educational expenses can be awarded if the court deems it to be necessary.
There are many factors that go into how much child support will be paid at the end of a marriage. Given the way in which the state decides how much a parent will pay and receive and the percentages that are used, it can be complicated especially during a dispute. Having legal advice from a lawyer that specializes in divorce, child support and other divorce legal issues is essential and can make the entire process easier.