In Georgia, child support is primarily based on the income of both parents, and the ability of each parent to meet the needs of the child or children involved. Georgia's child support worksheet is the method Georgia courts use to determine the appropriate amount of child support to award the custodial parent in each case. The child support worksheet is a document used to enter the financial information of both parents to calculate the amount of child support according to Georgia's child support guidelines. Anyone can access and download a copy of Georgia's child support worksheet. In fact, each party to a divorce in Georgia must submit a proposed child support worksheet for the court to consider.
If you are represented by a Georgia divorce attorney, your attorney will complete and submit a proposed child support worksheet on your behalf. However, if you are representing yourself during your divorce, you must complete and submit this form yourself. If you are completing this form yourself, it is important that you complete it fully and completely. Otherwise, the child support calculation may be inaccurate, and this inaccuracy may be financial detrimental to you. Although instructions are included with the child support worksheet, there may be some aspects of the worksheet that remain confusing. If you need more guidance on how to complete the child support worksheet, please review the instructional articles on our website entitled: How to Complete a Child Support Worksheet.
Additionally, the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia has launched a Child Support Worksheet Helpline. This helpline is a free service that helps unrepresented individuals prepare child support worksheets. The child support helpline is manned by volunteer divorce attorneys who will work with callers to prepare child support worksheets. Once the worksheet is prepared, the volunteer attorney will email or mail the finished worksheet to the caller. If you are working to complete a child support worksheet in your Georgia divorce or child custody case, and you are not represented by an attorney, you can call the helpline at (404) 526-8609.