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When parents are no longer together, one of them may be ordered to pay child support to help with the costs of raising children. This type of court-ordered payment may be required in paternity or custody cases, divorce proceedings, or other support cases.
Whether or not you have visitation rights or parenting time does not mean you can avoid paying child support. All children have a legal right to financial support from both parents, so sometimes, a parent must continue child support even after they have lost parental rights.
If you are a non-custodial parent, your first question is probably, “Well, how much am I going to have to pay?” There isn’t an average amount in Michigan, because each family situation is different. However, there are some guidelines to determine how much you might have to pay.
How does a court decide how much I pay?
The Michigan Child Support Formula is a computer program that calculates child support.
The parent who has to pay child support is the “payer” and the recipient is the “payee.” The Formula uses the following factors to determine the support amount:
- The parents’ incomes
- The number of overnights the child spends with each parent per year
- The number of children either parent has
- Which parent pays for medical insurance
- Child care costs
- Whether either party receives government assistance
What circumstances might change the amount recommended by the Formula?
Once the amount of child support is calculated by the Formula, a judge may deviate from the recommendation if they think the result is unfair to one parent. Some situations that require a judge to not strictly apply the recommended child support amount may include:
- Whether the child has special needs
- The parents have an extraordinary level of jointly accumulated debt
- Someone other than the parent can supply health care coverage
- A parent provides a substantial amount of day-time care and contributes significantly toward the child’s costs
There are several more factors, many of which look at other, non-custody related financial obligations ordered by the court.
I’m going through a custody battle right now, and I’m not sure what child support could look like for me. Where do I start?
If you are worried about how much child support you might have to pay, or if you have other custody questions, the team at Striegle Law is here to support you and has software to assist in calculating what you may pay or determine if you are even required to pay child support. Call us today at (616) 253-6688 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation.