Child Support, Guidelines, and Modification and Enforcement
Guideline mechanics
Child support guidelines are state-specific but usually follow income shares or a percentage-of-income model. Start with each parent's gross income, then allow deductions required by the guideline: prior support, self-employment expenses, and sometimes union dues. Add childcare, health insurance premiums, and extraordinary medical or educational expenses. Impute income when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Parenting-time adjustments, split custody, and low-income self-support reserves may apply. Deviations must be written and justified.
Modification and enforcement
Modification requires a substantial change in circumstances or a statutory review, such as a three-year review or a percentage change in income. Arrears generally cannot be retroactively forgiven; contempt, income withholding, tax refund intercepts, liens, license suspension, and passport denial are enforcement tools. UIFSA ensures one continuing exclusive order and allows registration in another state. Paternity establishment may be necessary before support can be ordered.
Worked example
Father quits a $90,000 job to work part-time. The court may impute his prior earnings because the reduction was voluntary and made to reduce support; the guideline calculation uses imputed income, not his new paycheck.
Traps
Using net instead of gross income; omitting mandatory add-ons; retroactively reducing arrears without authority; failing to register a foreign order; missing emancipation provisions.