My daughter's father and I have been talking about appropriate child support payments. (He and I have been apart for nine years and have a very amicable relationship.)
In our last discussion, he asked me what I thought was appropriate and "normal," and I honestly had no idea. Any ideas on what a "usual" agreement is?
Some specifics: We have no formal court agreement as we were never married. In the past, I have paid for nearly everything (private school tuition, health care, clothing, camps, etc.) as I made much more money than he did. However, now our incomes are more equal. He has her at his house two nights a week, and we have a family night with all three of us together once a week. Also, I continue to claim her as my dependent yearly on taxes.
In MN, there is a child support calculator - here's the website: http://childsupportcalculator.dhs.state.mn.us/
I hope this helps - good luck!
I don't have any idea as I don't have any experience with the situation, however, I wanted to say I admire that you do a family night! I think that is wonderful for your daughter that you are able to get along and still do things together!
There's a website to calculate all that. I'm unemployed and it's based on that website calculation assuming I can make $14 an hour when I find work. He covers medical insurance but $38 comes out of support for my share. Tuition and medical bills are split 26/74% me taking the lower. It's also calculated based on how the custody split is. You have either full custody, a split up to 45% and then 50/50. I get $1240 less $38 so $1202 a month. Come Aug. it will be 50/50 custody split and support goes to $600. I was married for 9 years and he pulls in $80,000 a year. Because the kids have more time at my house I can claim both but we agreed that we will each take a child to claim. For tuition, I guess my x can take a income deduction even if though I'm entitled to claim one child so there are perks for tuition for a parent who does not claim a child on taxes. Hope my situation helps you figure things out. Check these links out.
http://childsupportcalculator.dhs.state.mn.us/
http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/Choice/docume...
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p503/ar02.html#en_US_publ...#
30 % of his income..thats the law-which does not include diapers,food,gifts etc.
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I think it depends on the state your in. In Pennsylvania they can take up to 55% of your income depending on wages. The do take some of your Fed income tax return if you are in arrears. They dont go by who has the child the most or split custody. You should be able to go to your domestic relations website and they have a calculator there so you can figure it out. My ex pays $1100 a month and now the kids are 16 and 14 and the older has a job so we went before the moderator and she said he still pays the same since the child is still in school and a minor. We thought it would be lowered. *we both make about $52,000 a year.
Hi S.,
If I'm not mistaken you need to check what the laws are in your state, but I think that if both parents have more or less the same income and custody, the expenses are paid 50/50. If one makes more than the other then the one that makes more money gives a little more. It all really depends on the person's salary/earnings. Go to your library and see if someone there can help you find more information. But if you both have a great relationship, then just sit down and calculate everything, if you pay health care, then let him give you money for clothing, and split the tuition in half. Same with the food, since she spends more time with you, then add a little more money for the food. Hope this helps.
we are in fl and there is a formula for calculating the amount of child support. You could go to an attorney to help you figure it out and split the cost. Just an example of our support: My husband has a 3 year old and they too were never married. They have similar incomes and he pays almost $700 a month but that includes $300 towards daycare. In fl the father has to pay 75% of daycare expensenses. he also has the child on his insurance and is responsible for paying the premium but they split any additional medial bills 50%. She claims him on her taxes as well.
That depends on the state and the incomes of both parents. There is not true normal amount. Look up the code for your state and it will include a child support calculator. Remember to add health insurance and day care expenses.
My daughter's husband pays child support for his son with his first wife. He pays $100 a week. I know someone else who gets child support from her ex boyfriend for their daughter which was a court appointed $108. Hope this helps.
I agree with Dawn. Check and DO RESEARCH and don't base the numbers on what other people say.
Since the two of you seem to have such a friendly relationship, they way my ex and I handle money might work for you. We calculated our daughter's expenses/budget (daycare, healthcare, clothing, activities, etc. ) and then we divided the monthly cost according to our incomes (his is higher right now). Then we deposit that amount in a joint checking account each month that is only for her expenses. Each of us pays for her expenses out of that checking account (both have a debit card and checks). We keep an eye on the balance over time to see if any adjustments to our deposits need to happen. We discuss any larger expenses before they happen but are both free to make smaller purchases when we deem it necessary. This has worked for us for three years now.
Some things to keep in mind: you guys don't have a 50/50 split with time, so your expenses (food, etc.) are higher, and you may want to also consider starting a college fund that you both contribute to.
We were legally married and came to this agreement with the help of a divorce mediator and it was approved by the court during our divorce (in MN). We weren't concerned with what was "normal", we only wanted a way to cover her expenses fairly, to both contribute equally, to not have money changing hands between us, and not have a court dictate how we parent our child.
