The court acts with the best interests of the child in mind to decide on child support. The judge will review various factors regarding the family dynamic, the parents and the child’s position in this family. These factors can include the financial status of each parent, each party’s work history and each party’s earning capacity. The income, debt and assets of each parent are considered to see how much financial support they can give to the child. The amount of time the child spends living with each parent is also taken into consideration. These factors take into account how much each parent provides for the child throughout the years and how much they can provide in the future to ensure a stable living situation for the child. Other factors may include the child’s needs, age, health, education and the cost of providing for the child, including daycare. All of these factors are considered by a judge to make a final decision on child support payments.
Is more child support paid for more children?
The Child Support Standards Act provides a formula that decides the structure of child support based on the number of children involved in the family. When there are more children in the family, there is a greater percentage of combined marital income that must go to child support. The child support is based upon the number of children. For one child, 17% may be included. For two children, 25% percent may be demanded. As the number of children increases, the percentage increases to reflect that there are more needs due to the amount of children in the family.
The formula is used to estimate the amount of support needed but there are many other factors considered when deciding upon the child support structure. Judges will consider the financial resources of each parent and of the child. They will take into account the child’s physical and emotional health to ensure their well-being, along with their current standard of living. Other factors include the tax consequences of each parent, their non-monetary contributions, their educational needs, the parent’s gross income and the children’s needs outside of the marriage.
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