After divorces occur, some people may have to pay their former spouse to support them. Child support gives provides compensation to custodial parents and those that spend more time taking care of the children in order to provide for them. Since a custodial parent may spend more of their finances taking care of the children on a regular basis, they may have to be paid a certain amount of support by their former spouse. These payments are to ensure that the child is taken care of. During court proceedings, a judge can review many factors to determine what structure of child support they deem to be fit for the child and the family. This can include the number of times payments are made and how much money is included in them. In New York state, child support ends at the age of 21 years old.
What are the child support standards?
These child support payments must be made by the family member. In the state of New York, the courts follow the State’s Child Support Guidelines and abide by the Child Support Standards Act. The Child Support Standards Act is in place to help decide the amount of child support payments that qualify as a sufficient amount for a specific case. This act provides a formula to equitably calculate a base amount of child support. The goal of this act is to decide with the best interests of the child in mind to ensure that their well-being is the first and foremost priority. The court will try to continue the living standard that has been established for the child already. The Child Support Standards Act that is in place provides a formula to decide the structure of child support based on the number of children involved in the case and in the family.
When there are more children in the family, there is a greater percentage of combined marital income that must go to child support. The child support is based upon the number of children. For one child, 17% may be included. For two children, 25% percent may be demanded. As the number of children increases, the percentage increases to reflect that there are more needs due to the amount of children in the family. The formula is used to estimate the amount of support needed based on the number of children it is intended to provide for. There are many other factors considered when deciding upon the child support structure, such as the financial resources of each parent. They will take into account the child’s physical and emotional health to ensure their well-being, along with their current standard of living. Other factors include the tax consequences of each parent, their non-monetary contributions, their educational needs, the parent’s gross income and the children’s needs outside of the marriage.
Peter V. Mandi, Esq. is an experienced divorce and family law attorney located in Bohemia, New York. If you require strong and dedicated legal representation in Long Island, New York, contact Peter V. Mandi & Associates, Inc. today for a free consultation.