As a parent, one of your primary responsibilities is to provide financial support for your children. This duty does not disappear once you divorce or separate from the other parent. Instead, one parent will be ordered to make child support payments. This obligation generally continues until the child turns 18.
The amount of child support is based primarily on the incomes of both parents, as well as the amount of time the child spends at each parent’s home. Using this information and a state-approved formula, the court arrives at a child support obligation amount that is presumed to be fair and adequate.
However, the court can take other factors and circumstances into account when setting child support.
4 Other Factors Courts Consider When Setting Child Support Besides Income
Each parent’s income is a key consideration when a court calculates child support, but it is not the sole factor. Frequently, courts also consider the following four factors.
1. Your Child’s Health
If your child has health issues that require a considerable amount of medical care and treatment, a court may increase the child support amount. For example, if your child needs specialized food, ongoing medical care, or frequent trips to specialized facilities, the amount of child support awarded may reflect these expenses.
2. The Parents’ Earning Potential
Some parents attempt to game the system by taking a job that pays far less than what they used to earn. For example, someone who has spent a decade as a corporate executive might quit their job in favor of one that involves very little responsibility to lower their income and the resulting child support obligation.
Courts do not look favorably on these efforts. Instead of your current income, a court can consider your qualifications and your historical earnings when setting your child support obligation.
3. The Parents’ Health
A chronic health condition or disability can affect your ability to remain gainfully employed. Even if you continue to work, a serious medical condition can consume a sizable portion of your income. In either situation, a court is permitted to consider the financial effects of each parent’s health.
4. Other Children and Child Support Obligations
A judge may adjust a child support order if a parent is caring for or is ordered to pay child support to other children. As long as there is no evidence of fraud, courts are generally reluctant to impose a child support obligation that will make it impossible for the paying parent to provide for their other children’s needs.
Get Professional Assistance With Your Child Support Questions
Calculating and modifying child support obligations in Michigan can be a challenging process. It is best to have the assistance of a child support lawyer who will take the time to understand your situation and help you form a strategy to protect the best interests of your children.
Learn what factors will affect your child support obligation by contacting Gucciardo Family Law today and speaking with a divorce and separation lawyer.
