How Child Custody & Visitation Orders Shape Child Support Guidelines

Irvine Child Custody Lawyer – Newport Beach Child Support Attorneys (Free Consultations)

Many family law and divorce litigants in Orange County, California, make the mistake of negotiating child custody and visitation orders without thinking about the financial implications of doing so. The statutory guidelines in California for the calculation of child support are premised on the amount of actual visitation or custody that one parent has of a child. In simple terms, the more custody a person has of a particular child, the more money they will receive in child support or if they pay child support, the less they will pay.

Pursuant to California family code section 4055, the court is required to consider various factors when making a support order. These factors include the income of each parent, tax filing status, healthcare insurance deductions, union dues, the number of children involved in the support order, mortgage interest and property tax payments, and other factors. One of the most important factors is the custodial time enjoyed by each parent. The amount of support paid by one parent is dependent on each parent’s timeshare percentage.

If you have a child custody or child support matter, or both, it is imperative that you hire an experienced attorney to guide you through the process. Because child custody and visitation orders have a significant financial impact on each parent, you need to understand what the likely outcomes will be if you proceed to court. Also, if you are negotiating child custody and child support, the more information you have the more prepared you will be to negotiate a favorable schedule for your children and amount of child support.

Keep in mind, however, that raising children is expensive. Many parents fight tooth and nail for custody of their children for the sole reason that there will be either more child support paid if they are with the recipient, or less child support paid if that parent has an ongoing child support obligation every month.  This objective often backfires, however, when the parent learns that it costs a significant amount of money to raise children.  For example, if a father fights for 50% custody for the sole reason he wants to save $500 per month in child support, he will soon find out that the cost of having children in his care for 50% of each month costs more than $500.  This is just something to consider as you embark on your journey with a divorce, paternity or custody matter.

For more information about child custody and visitation in Irvine, California, click here.

For more information about child support guidelines in California, click here.

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