Child support is an important piece of ensuring that a child has everything they need following the divorce of their parents. Child support is financial in nature and covers a range of expenses related to raising a child. Those expenses can include, but are not limited to, food and shelter, clothing and shoes, extracurricular activities, school, and many others.
In Arizona, parents subject to child support orders follow the income shares model. This post will offer some information on the income shares model but interested readers can learn more about child support and other family law topics from their trusted Arizona-based family law and divorce attorneys.
Proportional support from parents
At the heart of the income shares model for child support is the idea that proportional support should be received by a child from their parents. That means that the amount or proportion of support that a child would have received from each of their parents had the parents’ relationship lasted should be grounds for their child support obligation after their divorce.
For example, if a child receives $1,000 in child support per month following their parents’ divorce, and their mother would have contributed 70% of the support to raising the child during the marriage, the mother would be responsible for 70% of the support obligation, or $700. The father, who was providing 30% of the child’s support during the marriage would still be responsible for 30% of their support obligation, or $300.
Getting child support obligations right
As readers can possibly tell, calculating child support under the income shares model can be tricky and subject to disagreement. Ensuring that each parent’s income is accurately represented and contributions noted during the process can help protect the accuracy of the income shares model child support obligation plan. A trusted family law lawyer can help their client work through these and other issues during their divorce proceedings.