How do courts determine child support in California?

Determining child support is a big reason why couples getting divorced go to court, and there are several factors that determine how much child support one former spouse might have to pay to the other. There are many considerations to make regarding financial support in order to keep everything as fair as possible. Generally, child support lasts until the child turns 19 if still in high school, or is otherwise able to support themselves.

Here are some of the factors that California courts use to determine child support.

Gross income

Once the parents no longer have a combined income, courts use the gross income of each parent to help decide how much financial support one should provide to the other, if any. Gross income might include things such as salaries and wages, pensions, dividends and trust income.

Number of children

The number of children that the former spouses have together also determines how much child support will be, with the amount increasing with the number of minor children.

Time spent with children

The amount of time each parent will be spending with the children after the divorce factors into child support payments in order to help keep things equitable. The primary caregiver will be spending money supporting the daily activities of the children, so the other parent may be expected to provide a share of these funds.

Knowing all the factors that go into determining child support helps parents ensure that payments are fair when considering things such as the custody arrangement.