Child support is the financial obligation of one parent to the other that ensures their shared children receive adequate care and resources. When two parents decide to separate or divorce a custody arrangement is created outlining the parenting time and schedule that must be abided by. The noncustodial parent spends less time with the child and therefore must pay child support to the custodial parent. How much they are required to pay varies depending on several factors. Custodial time is a significant contributing factor that is addressed when child support payments are being calculated. Contact a Memphis, Tennessee child support lawyer to discuss your situation and obtain representation during your child support deliberations.
How is Child Support Calculated in TN?
When a court calculates child support payments they base their math on several factors relevant to each parent’s personal and financial circumstances. Three main topics are looked at when determining child support.
- Each parent’s income
- The amount of time each parent spends with the child(ren)
- How many children the parents share
The court will examine information like healthcare costs, educational expenses, childcare, extracurriculars, food, rent, and more to estimate how much it costs to support the child per month. The three factors above are then considered to determine a fair percentage of each parent’s income that should be designated for those expenses.
Does Custodial Time Affect Child Support?
The custody arrangement does have an impact on the amount of child support a noncustodial parent will have to pay. Parenting time is an important variable that must be factored into child support payment calculations. In general, the more time the noncustodial parent spends with the child the less amount of support they owe to the custodial parent. While every family situation is unique, this is typically true.
For example, consider a situation where one parent has sole custody of two children. The noncustodial parent lives in another state and takes custody of the children for a cumulative six weeks out of the year. That is a little over 11% of the year, meaning that the custodial parent’s parenting time is about 89% of the time. The noncustodial parent will pay a significant amount in child support because of their absence.
On the other hand, suppose the noncustodial parent has the children for 24 weeks and the custodial parent has them for 28 weeks. This is a much more even parenting arrangement, nearly 50/50. The custodial parent will still receive child support payments from the noncustodial parent, but they will probably not be as much as in the previous example.
The more time a parent has custody of their children the more money they will spend on them through utilities, food, clothes, schooling, and more. When custodial time is split fairly evenly between the parents there is less need for the custodial parent to have their income supplemented with child support payments because the noncustodial parent picks up the expenses when the children stay with them.
Contact a Family Lawyer Today
Speak with an experienced child custody or child support attorney during this time. Custody disputes can become emotional and overwhelming so obtain representation from a skilled lawyer.
