When filing for a divorce with minor children, a child support worksheet is typically required to be filed at some point in the filing procedure before the final divorce decree or judgment will be signed. The court examines the completed worksheet to see what monthly obligation the state guidelines produce and then compares it to what the parents are petitioning the court to order. This amount may be the same or different, but the worksheet gives the judge a basis to determine what should or should not be ordered by the court.

The child support worksheet requires the income of at least the non-custodial parent but most of the time both parents. This income amount must be substantiated with copies of past pay stubs or W-2s.

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Your Suggestion

1. How Much Child Support Will I Get?
   If you are questioning this before you decide to get a divorce, hopefully your concerns are about the welfare of your child or children and not your own. Child Support is for the children and the expenses to support them, so be sure to keep child support separate from any spousal support/alimony and/or property settlements. Do yourself the favor and make several copies of the worksheet and run several scenarios using different levels of income. This way you will not be surprised if the support amount is less than what was expected or assumed.
   Contributed on 6/20/2007 by: DivorceDex.com Staff

   Category: Child Support  (Applicable in All States)

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