When parents share parenting time equally in Connecticut, how do you calculate child support? Family Law Software give you a quick and easy way to come up with the right answer.
Under the Connecticut law, “Shared Physical Custody” means that the physical residence of the child is shared by the parents for “a substantially equal time”. The Preamble to the Guidelines does provide some additional guidance:
“A finding of shared physical custody should be made only where each parent exercises physical care and control of the child for periods substantially in excess of two overnights on alternate weekends, alternate holidays, some vacation time, and other visits of short duration, which may occasion an overnight stay during the week.”
For Shared Physical Custody, the presumptive support amount under the Guidelines is the amount that the parent with the higher income pays to the lower income parent. However, if the Guideline child support amount does not fit the parenting plan, parents can consider a different amount that works for them.
Family Law Software has tools to help parents in an shared parenting situation figure out what the right amount of child support is for their children.
Let’s take John and Susan who have two children. They are going to parent the children with equal time and equally share the cost of the children’s school, medical, and extraordinary expenses. But they are trying to decide how much child support John, who earns more than Susan, will pay as child support.
The Guideline amount of $1,183 per month leaves John with 45% and Susan 55% of the total after tax income and the parties intend for each person to have equal after tax money to spend.
Using the Family Law Software tools, $750 of child support will equalize their income accomplishing their goal.
