How much child support will I have to pay?
Child support can be very complicated. However, I will attempt to give some general information about how child support is set. Generally speaking, child support is set in Georgia based on the parties gross incomes. Gross income is your income before taxes or other things are taken out. The child support that is owed by either party is determined by putting each parties gross income into the Georgia child Support Calculator. This calculator can be found on the Georgia Child Support Commissions website.
However, there are other factors that determine child support besides gross income. The party who pays the children’s health insurance can be given credit for that expense. If one party has work-related day care expenses those may also factor into the child support amount. If you pay court-ordered child support for another child that is also if a factor in the child support calculation.
Other issues that come up in child support litigation are willful underemployment and the hiding of income. An example of willful underemployment would be someone who has education or training that would allow them to make a high income but they choose employment where they make significantly less than they would if they used their education and training. An example of hiding income would be someone who has a job where they receive cash under the table and they have failed to report that cash as part of their income.
So, child support litigation can be more complicated than simply putting both parties income into a calculator. If you are facing a divorce or child support modification you should consult an attorney for agreeing to any child support amount regardless of which side of the case you are on.