Do child care costs impact child support?

On Behalf of | May 13, 2016 | Child Support |

Many factors go into the calculation of child support payments. The state of Florida uses the income of both parents as the main basis for deciding how much a child support order should be, but there are also other considerations. Additional sources of income, such as self-employment monies, annual or performance bonuses, and rental income may affect how much the child support amounts to.

In some situations, you will also be able to factor in certain expenses. For instance, you may be able to partially deduct self-employment taxes from your gross income for child support purposes. Union dues, child support paid to other children not part of the order, and extraordinary expenses related to the children — such as in the case of a child who requires ongoing medical care — may also factor in.

Child care costs can also significantly affect the amount of a child support order. In most situations, either parent who must have child care while working is able to put their annual child care expenses down and have that entered into the formula that calculates the child support amount. This will usually be an important factor in sole custody situations where one parent has the children most of the time and must pay the vast majority of the child care expenses.

However, there may also be exceptions. For instance, day care expenses usually factor in, but private school tuition may not. If you have questions about whether or not what you’re spending on child care could impact your child support order or are wondering about other expenses and streams of income, it’s important to talk to a family law attorney.

Source: FindLaw, “What Does Child Support Cover?,” accessed May 13, 2016

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