Divorce includes many decisions. And when parents decide to part ways, they need to consider the financial wellbeing of the child. In other words, parents need to address the often difficult topic of child support. For some divorcing parents, this is an easy family law matter to tackle; however, others cringe at the idea of being required to pay weekly or monthly payments to an ex to provide for his or her child. At the end of the day, child support is designed to provide financial support for a child, which is based on the incomes of the parent and any custody arrangement in place.
In the state of Georgia, when child support is requested, guidelines are used to determine the amount a noncustodial parent is required to pay on a weekly or monthly basis. The state of Georgia requires that a child receives adequate support and even asserts that a parent cannot waive the right to receive child support because it is the right of the child to obtain this financial support.
A custodial parent or the caretaker of the child is able to request child support on a regular basis. When child support is being decided, Georgia uses an income-sharing approach. This means that the amount each parent will have to pay with regards to child support will be established through joint incomes of both parents minus any deductions.
Once the gross annual income of both parents is determined, the court will run these numbers through their support calculator. A judge will include salary, interest, trust income, tips, commission and other sources of income was establishing an amount. While this guideline is used, it is just that, a guideline. Judges are able to use other factors to determine what amount, more or less that the amount arrived at, would meet the best interests of the child.
Family law matters can be complex and emotional. Reaching a child support agreement can be difficult; however, it is necessary for the child. Child support goes beyond meeting the basic needs of the child but also other costs that related to medical care, childcare and extracurricular activities.
