High Income Child Support Cases
A high-income child support case is a child support case in which the parties involved earn more than $30,000 per month ($360,000) per year in combined income, whether the income is earned by one party individually or by adding both parents’ incomes together.
The basic combined child support obligation is the presumed amount of support that the child(ren) will need from the parent(s). To determine how much support the child(ren) need to meet their needs, the courts presume the following obligations, depending on the number of children the parties share:
- One child: $3,608 per month + 4.0% of combined monthly net income above $30,000;
- Two children: $4,250 per month + 4.0% of combined monthly net income above $30,000;
- Three children: $4,951 per month + 4.7% of combined monthly;
- Four children: $5,530 per month + 5.3% of combined monthly;
- Five children: $6,083 per month + 5.8% of combined monthly; or
- Six children: $6,613 per month + 6.3% of combined monthly net income above $30,000.
Once the presumed amount of support is calculated, the support obligation for the child(ren) will then be allocated between the parents based on their respective incomes. For example, if the obligor made 60% of the combined monthly income of $40,000, and the parties had one child, then the obligor’s basic obligation before adjusting for factors like shared custody, etc. would be ($3,608 + 4 % of $10,000) x 60% = $2,404.80. Because this parent earns 60% of the parties’ combined income, that parent would be responsible to pay 60% of the child support obligation. If the non-custodial parent, who is also the obligor, spends more than 40% of the overnights during the year with the child, that parent will be entitled to a downward deviation in the support obligation, meaning in the current example, that parent would pay less than 60% of the support obligation because of the additional expenses that are incurred by exercising more than 40% of the time with the child.
The final step in the analysis, is to determine the children’s “reasonable needs” based on all the factors and based on the parties’ expense statements that they are required to file. The support obligation may be adjusted upwards or downwards based on this determination. A determination of the child’s reasonable needs is a unique aspect of the high-income child support calculations.
If you are interested in learning more about high income child support cases, contact Tanner Law Offices at (717) 731-8114 to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys.