Child Support Payments Help to Improve Parenting After Divorce

Across the United States, both parents are considered to be financially responsible for their children, even after a divorce or separation. To help parents to continue supporting their kids after a change in the family structure, child support often comes into play. Child support allows a parent to financially support their child who lives primarily or full-time with the other parent. When payments are made regularly, they tend to have a good impact on families. Research shows evidence of child support having a positive effect on a child’s well being, as well as on overall parenting after divorce. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, reports show that child support helps to reduce the rate of child poverty in the United States. On top of that, their reports also show that these payments positively affect a child’s academic achievement and cognitive development. By reducing the financial hardship faced by many single-parent households, child support payments help to improve parenting after divorce.

Child support has been a consistent element of many divorce and separation cases for a number of years. Each state has its own guidelines and regulations for child support payments, and it is also upheld by federal law. To help a parent find out what their child support payments might be, online child support calculators and/or worksheets are offered by a variety of websites. These tools use information such as a parent's annual income and daycare costs to calculate a basic idea of what a parent will likely owe for child support. These resources may be provided by state government websites, and they can give a payment estimate based on the laws and guidelines followed within a specific state. For example, the Colorado Judicial Branch website offers a Colorado child support calculator. Using this tool, Colorado residents can electronically calculate child support alongside other worksheets to also help in making this calculation. Similarly, the New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services website offers a New York child support calculator to help parents in New York get an idea of how much support a parent may owe.

While child support calculators are a helpful resource for parents, they only provide a general idea of what a parent might owe. The actual total that a parent will pay must be agreed upon by the parents themselves or determined by a judge, and that total will be written into the final agreement.  During a court hearing, a judge will make the final ruling on child support payments by examining factors other than a parent’s total income such as the child’s medical conditions, child care costs, and more. All of these factors help to determine how much it will cost to maintain the child’s current standard of living. Another factor that courts will consider is the amount of time each parent spends with the child. This factor often comes into play when both parents have parenting time, with one parent having more time than the other. All in all, calculating the exact amount of child support that a parent needs to pay is complex, and there is no “one size fits all” answer for every situation. Even after amounts have been determined, keeping track of child support payments as they are being made is a very important task. Making payments on time, ensuring that payment totals are accurate, and confirming that the other parent received payment are all key elements to managing child support payments.

There are many ways in which child support payments can be made. In some states, income withholding is a popular method of collecting child support. For example, more than 70% of child support payments in Florida are collected on behalf of employers via income withholding. Even after income withholding, parents may still wish to know how much child support they have paid or received over time. To track child support and other child-related expenses, many parents turn to paper notebooks or computer spreadsheets to independently tracking expenses. These methods of tracking payments are less efficient and create more work for each individual parent. Instead, if parents are able to see the same totals from the same register of expenses, then they are better able to remain on the same page about parenting-related expenses. An online resource, such as the OurFamilyWizard website, can help co-parents to do just this by providing a safe platform to record and track every detail about parenting expenses down to the last cent. The expense log on the OurFamilyWizard website allows both parents to record when payments are made and confirm when they have been received. Parents can also record exactly how child support funds are being spent by documenting individual purchases and other payments made for things like medical bills and travel expenses.

Beyond income withholding, there are other methods of payment that could be used for child support. Some states allow parents to make their payments using online portals, by mail, or even by phone; but even with these methods, parents who want their own record of payment history may still have to document it on their own. To assist with documentation, the OurFamilyWizard website offers a payment system called OFWpay which facilitates online transfers and documents all of the important information related to payments. Using OFWpay, parents can make bank-to-bank transfers without sharing any sensitive banking information. It even allows for scheduled payments to be automatically debited from one parent and sent to the other parent on a one-time or regular basis. OFWpay also documents each step of every payment including when it was sent and when it is successfully deposited to the recipient. When parents don't have to worry about sending, receiving or documenting their child support payments, they have more time to focus on their family.

Child support payments help to move families forward after divorce or separation, while also helping to improve overall parenting after divorce. If you are going through a divorce and will be paying or receiving child support, only an attorney can advise you on what you should expect. While this information is meant to inform, it is not to be considered legal advice. No matter the case, the OurFamilyWizard website is committed to helping co-parents improve overall parenting after divorce by making it easier to communicate about child-related expenses and payments, as well as all other matters related to their family. 

Sources and further reading:

  1. NCSL Staff (August 2012). "Child Support 101: Child Support Basics. National Conference of State Legislation. Retrieved from: http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/child-support-basics.aspx
  2. Prosecutive Guidelines and Procedures for the Child Support Recovery Act of 1992, U.S. Attorney General, 25 February 1997, available at: http://www.justice.gov/ag/prosecutive-guidelines-and-procedures-child-support-recovery-act-1992 (last accessed 18 June 2015).
  3. "Calculate Child Support/Maintenance Forms." Colorado Judicial Branch. Retrieved from: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Forms/Forms_List.cfm?Form_Type_ID=94
  4. "Child Support Calculator." NYC Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services. Retrieved from: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/html/services/child_support_calculator.shtml
  5. "Employer Information." Florida Department of Revenue. Retrieved from: http://floridarevenue.com/childsupport/employers/Pages/info.aspx