Child Support Payments - What You Need To Know

Many seem to have the idea that California child support payments are not a priority when looking at the big picture, but in fact, this is one of the most important aspects of a divorce. It is actually one of the top priorities, and rightly so.

Let's start by talking about the guidelines regarding California child support payments. The entire golden state has a requirement regarding child support. Under this rule, the judge must order the mandatory amount based on state guidelines for child support. However, there is an exception when the child's parents have come up with an agreement.

The mandated California state divorce guideline amount for child support is based on several factors. One of these factors is the after-tax income for both parents.

For those of you who don't know what after-tax income is, this is the amount of money that is left after you have paid all your taxes. Another factor that affects the guideline amount of California child support payments is the amount of time the child spends with each of his or her parents.

At this point, I hope you realize that there is not much point in letting a child support argument turn into a legal battle. The guidelines that we have just talked about are very important, and they always have to be followed.

Believe it or not, even if you and your spouse have already come up with an agreement regarding child support payments, it is sill required that you prove to the court that you are aware of and understand the different guidelines.

If you come across books on divorce and go to the part about child support, you'll see that it's an extremely long section - so long that this article will definitely not be able to tackle all of the relevant issues. Don't worry though, because I'll do my best to tell you more about what I believe are the more important facts on this topic.

First, let's talk about the age requirements for children who are entitled to California child support payments. They are entitled to support until they turn nineteen. If the child is eighteen years old, however, and falls under certain conditions, he or she will not be entitled to support anymore. The conditions are death, marriage, becoming emancipated, or not being a full-time high school student anymore.

You're now probably wondering how California child support payments apply to college students. Support can actually be ordered for a child until he or she reaches the age of twenty-one or goes through college or training as long as the parents come up with an agreement. This agreement has to be in writing, by the way.

Other things parents are responsible for include shared expenses and health insurance. Uninsured health care expenses are also the responsibility of a child's parents. If health insurance is available at a practical cost for the parents, then this should be included in the support order.

Aside from guideline support, another thing both parents are accountable for is shared expenses. Certain child care expenses must be shared equally. The only way this can be changed is by agreement or a court order, either of which could allow the parents to share expenses in proportion to their net incomes. One of the required expenses which must be covered in California child support payments is child-care expenses to enable either parent to work.