If you are seeking child support in a divorce situation, there are a variety of factors that you will want to consider. The California courts use guidelines to determine how much child support each family member should be paid. If parents cannot agree on child support without a judge's assistance then the judge will simply approve the agreement. Unfortunately, many divorces are contentious so the courts use their guidelines to award the appropriate amount of child support. The courts will look at how much money each parent earns, and the earning potential for each parent.
Also, the court will look at the different in income among both parents, and how many children these parents have together. The court will then determine how much time each parent will spend with the children, and the actual tax filing status of each parent. The court will want to learn if the children are being supported from other relationships, and what the health insurance expenses are for each child. The courts will also want to know any mandatory union dues, and mandatory retirement contributions. They will evaluate the cost of sharing daycare and uninsured health-care costs and will talk to attorneys to learn of any other concerning factors.
The court may require parents to share the costs of a child's education needs, reasonable health-care expenses, and child care so that a parent can go to work or get educational training to improve his or her resume. Also, parents may need to contribute to the travelling costs to transfer the children from one caretaker to another. The California courts will evaluate all of this information and then use it to make an informed decision as to which spouse should pay child support and how much should be paid. If you want more information about these situations then talk to a Los Angeles divorce lawyer today!