Child Support in NC: How Is It Calculated?

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What is the child support calculator, but it estimates and what it does an estimate. In North Carolina, a child support calculator can be helpful, but it doesn't tell the entire story.

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We frequently look at historical earnings of the parties as well as their current earnings. We look at the needs of the child, medical expenses, health insurance, and who pays for the health insurance for the mother. We also look at any type of daycare or after school care arrangement that is necessary for the minor child or children.

After we've gathered the important financial information, we begin to put those into the calculator to determine what the basic child support obligation would be. We then review it with our client to ensure that it adequately meets the needs of the child, as well, as it's a fair and reasonable solution for both parents.

When we're calculating child support, it's important to make sure that we have the correct financial information, which means the most current information we can have for both parents income. One thing that I get asked frequently is will the child support amount change? The answer is in most situations it will change over the course of the lifetime of the child.

In determining the amount for child support, we want to make sure we think about when is the most likely time that the child support will need to be adjusted due to changes in income for the parents or the needs of the child? Does my custodial schedule impact the amount I pay for child support? The answer is yes.

If you have more than 123 overnights with the minor child, you'll be on worksheet B as in boy versus worksheet A as an apple. Those two worksheets take into account whether or not the number of overnights with the secondary custodial parent are above or below 123 overnights. Worksheet B then makes proportional adjustments based on 123 overnights, up to the point that you have a true 50/50 schedule of 182 versus 183 overnights and a 365 day year.

Do courts ever deviate from the child support guidelines? The answer is yes. In situations where the court deems it appropriate to deviate from the guidelines. A child support amount different than a pure mathematical calculation in the guidelines will be applied to your situation. If there's a situation where a parent or both parents incomes have significantly deviated from the historical norms, the court is likely to find that that would be reason to justify a deviation from the guidelines.

If you have questions about child support and how to calculate an appropriate amount, please feel free to give us a call or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you.