How is Child Support Determined When Parents Have 50/50 Custody?

 Posted on June 08, 2022 in Family Law

In 2022, child support is calculated based on both of the parents’ net incomes. If the parents have a relatively equal amount of parenting time, the child support obligation is modified accordingly. Read on to learn more about how child support is calculated if parents share custody 50/50.

Parenting Time and Shared Parenting Scenarios

Physical custody of a child is now referred to as parenting time in Illinois, but the term custody is still used in informal settings. Divorcing parents are permitted and encouraged to develop a parenting time schedule that works for them. For example, in some families, one parent has the children on weekends and the other on weekdays. In other families, children stay with one parent the first and third weeks of the month and the other parent on the second and forth weeks of the month.

A shared parenting arrangement occurs when both parents have the children more than 40 percent of the time. This works out to 146 overnight visits a year. If you and your child’s other parent have 50/50 or near 50/50 custody, this is considered a shared parenting arrangement. It is important for you to understand how shared parenting arrangements influence child support obligations.

Child Support Calculations When Children Stay With Each Parent 40-50 Percent of the Time

Child support is paid to the parent with the majority of the parenting time. Typically, the amount of parenting time each parent is allotted does not influence the dollar amount of child support paid. The only exception to this is in shared parenting arrangements.

Child support obligations are based on each parent’s net income. The net incomes are summed to find the combined monthly net income. Next, the combined net income is used to find the “basic child support obligation.” This is the total amount of money that parents are estimated to spend on the child’s needs. The basic child support obligation is split between the parents in proportion to their net income.

For example, suppose a father makes $6,000 a month and the mother makes $4,000 a month. In this case, the father is responsible for 60 percent of the basic support obligation and the mother is responsible for 40 percent of the basic support obligation. The parent with the majority of parenting time (previously called the custodial parent) fulfills his or her responsibility by paying for child-related needs directly. The parent with less parenting time pays his or her share by making monthly child support payments. (In a shared parenting scenario with relatively equal parenting time, there is still a parent who is designated as the parent with the majority of the parenting time.)

In a shared parenting situation, the basic child support obligation is multiplied by 1.5. Furthermore, the amount of parenting time in a shared parenting situation does influence a parent’s child support obligation in a shared parenting situation. The more time a parent has with the child, the less he or she pays in child support.

Contact DuPage County Child Support Lawyer

As you can see, child support calculations can be complicated and confusing. For help with child support, child custody, divorce, and other family law issues, contact Goostree Law Group. Call 630-364-4046 to set up a consultation with our Wheaton family law attorneys today.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/075000050k505.htm