Child Support
What does "Child Support" mean in law?
Child support is a legally mandated financial obligation imposed on a non-custodial parent (and sometimes both parents) to contribute to the costs of raising their child, including food, housing, clothing, education, and healthcare. Every state uses guidelines, typically based on either the income shares model (combining both parents' incomes and allocating proportional shares) or the percentage of income model (applying a fixed percentage of the obligor's income), to calculate presumptive support amounts. Courts may deviate from the guidelines upon a showing of special circumstances such as extraordinary medical needs or educational expenses. Child support obligations are enforceable through wage garnishment, tax intercepts, license suspension, and contempt proceedings, and they generally continue until the child reaches the age of majority or is emancipated.
Definition
Child support is a legally mandated financial obligation imposed on a non-custodial parent (and sometimes both parents) to contribute to the costs of raising their child, including food, housing, clothing, education, and healthcare. Every state uses guidelines, typically based on either the income shares model (combining both parents' incomes and allocating proportional shares) or the percentage of income model (applying a fixed percentage of the obligor's income), to calculate presumptive support amounts. Courts may deviate from the guidelines upon a showing of special circumstances such as extraordinary medical needs or educational expenses. Child support obligations are enforceable through wage garnishment, tax intercepts, license suspension, and contempt proceedings, and they generally continue until the child reaches the age of majority or is emancipated.
Example
Using the income shares model, the court calculated that the father owed $1,800 per month in child support based on both parents' combined incomes and the percentage attributable to his earnings.