What is Child Support?
If you have minor
children, you might have questions about child support. Georgia
requires parents to provide adequate support for their minor children. Georgia law
requires the Court to specify the amount, duration, recipient, manner of
payment and deviations for child support in any divorce action where there are
minor children. Child support can also be ordered in cases where the parents
are separated but were never married.
Child support is
meant to provide the minor child with monetary support for food, clothing,
shelter, health insurance, and basic education expenses until the age of 18, or
when the minor child graduates from high school. An award of child support may
also include childcare expenses, extraordinary medical expenses, visitation
travel costs, and expenses for extracurricular activities. Because this support
is for the child's benefit, parents may not waive their minor child's right
support.
Is Paying Off Your Child's Car Considered Child Support?
How Much Child Support Will I Get?
Child support is
typically paid to the custodial parent (the parent with custody of the child
more than half the time) from the noncustodial parent. Georgia child support is
calculated through a Child Support Worksheet, using the "Income Shares Model," which utilizes both parents' gross
income to determine the amount of child support and to whom the child support
shall be paid. It is within the Court's discretion to raise or reduce the
amount of child support owed based on deviations like the parents' high income
(over $40,000 per month combined), health related insurance, or travel expenses.
Georgia's use of the "Income Shares Model" means that a higher earning
custodial parent who has joint or primary custody could still pay child support
to the other parent for any custodial time or visits that parent has with the
child.
Written by: Savannah Lane Orange