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HOW IS CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATED IN CALIFORNIA?
A Guide to California’s Child Support Rules
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UNDERSTANDING CHILD SUPPORT
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Child support is paid any time a child is not
being raised together by two parents
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Child support is based on the premise that it is
EACH CHILD’S FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT to receive support from
both his mother and his father
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CHILD SUPPORT CANNOT BE WAIVED in a prenuptial agreement and a parent may be required to pay child support even if he or she has no visitation or
contact with the children
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A STANDARD FORMULA IS USED
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A STANDARD FORMULA is used to determine the amount of child support
a parent in California must pay
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Child support is generally not independently negotiated in a divorce settlement as the formula is used to
ensure every child gets the support he or she needs
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Any attempts to deviate from the standard formula would need to be
justified
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A lesser child support payment than determined by the formula would
generally not be permitted although a parent could pay more support than is
required
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A CALCULATOR DETERMINES YOUR SUPPORT OBLIGATION
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Because the formula used to determine the amount of child support required is a
complex formula, a calculator is used to determine the amount of support that a
parent must pay
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The calculator is called the
DISSOMASTER
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The variables relevant to your situation must be entered into the Dissomaster,
which will determine the support obligation
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FACTORS THAT AFFECT CHILD SUPPORT
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A variety of different factors are used in California’s child support formula to
determine the amount that must be paid
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These factors include:
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Your marital status
Your income
The other parent’s income
Whether you have a mortgage and property taxes
Your required monthly bills
The visitation schedule with each child
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THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN YOU HAVE IS IMPORTANT
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The number of children you have is also a factor in the amount of support
that you are required to pay
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If you have children from a prior marriage or relationship that you are already paying support to, this will be
taken into account when using the Dissomaster calculator
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THE MORE CHILDREN YOU HAVE, the larger the support obligation
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A CHILD’S SPECIAL NEEDS ARE A FACTOR
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IF YOUR CHILD HAS SPECIAL NEEDS THAT RESULT IN MORE COSTLY CARE,
such as in situations where your child is disabled, this is taken into account when calculating your child support obligations
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YOU MUST PAY THE REQUIRED CHILD SUPPORT AMOUNT
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Once the appropriate amount of child support is determined,
a child support order will be created
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You must pay the required amount of child support or could face
consequences including:
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seizure of your tax return
potential loss of your driver’s license or professional licenses
jail time
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CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS are often deducted directly from your
paycheck and paid out to the recipient parent
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WHAT IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS?
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IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE TO YOUR CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS, you will need to petition to have the
support order changed
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There must be a material change in circumstances in order for your child
support obligations to be altered
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An experienced divorce and family law attorney should be consulted to assist
with changing your child support obligations
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We invite you to contact us at (925) 314-2320 to
schedule a consultation
Click to visit: www.FamilyLawGroup.comContent provided by Best Legal Practices