How Much Child Support Do I Owe, How Much Do I Get?
Nothing after a separation is easy; from division of assets to division of debts to spousal support and child custody. Fortunately, child support in North Carolina is generally pretty straight forward. North Carolina has adopted the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines which govern how much child support is owed and due. The Guidelines were updated in January 2019 and can be accessed here.
What Factors Affect Child Support in North Carolina?
North Carolina uses a calculator to determine how much child support, if any, is owed. The calculator takes into consideration number of children, each party’s income, number of overnights the child (or children) spend with each parent, child care costs, and medical insurance costs. Occasionally, extraordinary expenses are also factored into the calculation. Based upon all of these factors, the Guidelines create a rebuttal presumption of the child support obligation.
NC Child Support Calculator
We encourage clients to review the NC Child Support Calculator online and plug in estimates to get an idea of child support owed. Since the custody schedule affects child support, we encourage clients to consider different potential custody schedules when they are trying to determine the likely outcome on child support. The child support owed changes substantially once the non-custodial parent has more than 123 overnights.
Potential Child Support Complications
Like anything else, child support is not always so simple. Self-employment, under-reported earnings, special needs of the children, extraordinarily high earnings, existing support obligations and responsibility for other children (as examples) all complicate the picture. In these cases, an experienced attorney is most valuable.
Contact Our Attorneys For Help
If you have questions about your child support obligation (whether you receive child support or pay child support), we will review the facts and circumstances of your situation and ensure that the child support obligation is calculated correctly. Learn more about our family law Attorney Whitney Scarborough here. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
– Poisson, Poisson & Bower, PLLC Team
