Dayton Child Support Lawyers

Your Parenting Time Arrangements

If you are the primary custodial parent, and the children live with you the majority of the time, it is very likely that their other parent (who has the visitation schedule) will pay child support to you. Even if you and your ex split your time with your shared children straight down the middle, however, the higher earner will likely be ordered to pay child support to the other parent.

This is because child support is intended to be balanced between both of you in relation to your financial ability to pay. Many parents get tripped up on this fact. If you split your time with your children equally, you may think it stands to reason that you are also splitting your children’s support equally between the two of you. The court, however, is looking out for the best interests of the children and wants to keep their support balanced between both homes.

The Factors Involved

When it comes to calculating child support, the guiding factors include all of the following:

• The number of children you share
• The needs of each of your shared children
• Necessary child-related expenses, including daycare, health insurance, and more
• Each parent’s ability to pay child support
• The standard of living your children enjoyed before they began splitting their time between the two of you 

Not Living up to One’s Earning Potential

If the court believes that a parent is voluntarily underemployed or unemployed, it can choose to impute earnings and to calculate child support accordingly. Typically, the court will take all of the following into consideration:

• The parent’s level of education and any special training
• The parent’s past employment history
• The average wage and salary levels in the parent’s geographical area
• The availability of employment in the parent’s geographical area
• The mental and physical capabilities of the parent