A marriage is often characterized as a contract, at least by less romantic people, but a divorce is usually not viewed in the same light. The truth is though that a divorce is very much a contract between two people except for a couple little tweaks, one of which is child support and child custody. In a normal contract parties are able to contract into almost any scenario they would like, although courts can be asked to step in if there are problems with the contract the majority of the time parties can put anything they want in the contract. When it comes to divorce, child custody and especially child support contracting parties are not allowed to do as they please. Parties may agree to a custody arrangement but the judge or commissioner will look into that arrangement just to make sure that it is in the best interest of the child. As for child support the parties have virtually no control at all over what the obligation will be.
How to Calculate Child Support
Instead of allowing parties or a judge to determine what a good child support amount would be in each setting the state has instead set out specific guidelines that calculate an individual’s child support obligation based on incomes and custody arrangement. So the only real way to change child support is to change the inputs, which basically just boils down to changing the custody arrangement by adding more overnights to one party or the other. This is usually not likely to happen in most cases so the result is that parties just have to take child support as something out of their hands.
Child Support Issues in Divorce Actions | Ogden Divorce Attorney
If you are facing a divorce and are unsure of how the process works or what to expect then call Ogden Divorce Law today. We offer free consultations and can help you understand the ins and outs of the divorce system.
