Waxhaw Child Support Attorneys

What's the Point of Child Support?

During a divorce or paternity case, courts use child support to ensure a child receives the necessary resources to have a good quality of life.

In divorce-related child support cases, the court attempts to ensure that the child maintains the same quality of life post-divorce they enjoyed while the parents were married. In paternity-related child support cases, the court tries to ensure that the father (assuming they are absent from the child's life) supplies enough resources to help the child achieve their goals.

The court's primary concern in any child support case is the child's best interests.

How Much Child Support Can I Expect to Pay or Receive in NC?

Outside of the circumstances of your case and the court's judgment, the type of custody arrangement you have plays a large role in your child support case and largely determines how much child support you will pay or receive. 

In North Carolina, there are three basic types of custody arrangements:

1. Primary custody. When one parent has sole physical custody of a child, and the other parent only has limited custody or visitation rights, it's a primary custody arrangement.
2. Joint custody. In a joint custody arrangement, the child may live with or see both parents regularly, but they still live with one parent a majority of the time. For example, if your child lives with you 55% of the time and their co-parent 45% of the time, you have a joint custody arrangement.
3. Split custody. In a split custody arrangement, the parents share more than one child, and one child (at least) lives with each parent.

North Carolina provide official resources so you can calculate how much child support you may pay or receive:

• Use "Worksheet A" if you have a primary custody arrangement.
• Use "Worksheet B" if you have a joint or shared custody arrangement.
• Use "Worksheet C" if you have a split custody arrangement.

When you visit the worksheets, you will see that they use specific metrics to calculate the amount of child support you will owe or receive. 

Some of the information used to calculate child support payments includes:

• The number of children who need support;
• The monthly gross income of both parents (gross income includes all income sources, such as bonuses, commissions, pensions, trusts, salaries, tips, etc.);
• Whether either parent is engaged in a pre-existing child support order;
• Whether either parent has any other children not involved in this order;
• Any work-related child care costs either parent subsidizes;
• The cost of health insurance premiums for the child, and;
• Any extraordinary expenses for the child (for example, if the child has special needs, any expenses to help them cope with their condition or thrive would count as an extraordinary expense).

How Does My Income Factor into My Child Support?

In situations where one parent is not capable of providing for both themselves and their child, the other parent may need to pick up that burden and pay the less stable parent child support.

In some situations, a parent will remain unemployed or under-employ themselves to continue receiving child support. If you believe your ex-spouse is attempting to manipulate the child support system to receive support they don't deserve, you should contact the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). They can connect you to a child support official who will speak with you about your case.

If you can prove your co-parent is attempting to "game" the system, the NCDHHS will take measures to impute their income and ensure your child support arrangement is more equitable.

At Blood Law, PLLC, we'll can help you fight for an equitable outcome in your child support case. We'll build a strong case that protects your rights and helps you do what's best for your child.

To schedule a consultation with our team or learn more, contact us online or via phone at (704) 286-0570.