Child support is thought of more of a monthly payment to the ex than a payment for the child’s needs in many cases.  When going through a divorce, the adults often forget about the needs of a child, and how vulnerable their lives are when the family is splitting up.

Child support is on of the most controversial topic for both men and women because is means relying on the other to provide money for the child to have ‘enough’ food, clothing, and for their medications etc.  It is tough having a court determine child support because they will take all the income into consideration for both parties involved and often the parents do not want to disclose all of the income or assets.  One factor that is easily arranged as a dirty trick is raise or lower the current costs of support in the last few months or even weeks of a marriage. If the kids are suddenly in private school and you agreed because it was one more fight….well, get ready to see that payment go much higher than you thought. You get the drift.

It's often a good idea to have some estimate for child support payments or needs before going through divorce courts.  The Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare has figures for an average of what it costs to raise a child so you can figure your child support but often these figures are different than what your situation may be. For example, a special needs child has many additional bills that a healthy child may not. A child with learning disabilities may have additional bills that another may not, and another example is the older child in their teens may need less money than a child under the age of five who needs a babysitter. 

Another factor that you and your ex will need to think about during the divorce settlement, is how long child support will last, will it be the entire minority years of the child or until the child reaches a certain age?  Because every circumstance is different, each child support arrangement is different. Just because you have the same number of children as your friend does, does not mean that you are going to pay or receive the same monetary amount that they do.

If you are the one who is to be paying child support, you will have to realize a few things: you won’t be able to get the ex to tell you how each dime is spent. You will have to pay as the settlement was agreed to for as long as you agreed to. Laws through various states have different regulations. Your payment can go up and down according to your income and your ex’s income. Re-file in the future if your income is cut to lower your payments. When your job status, marriage, family, and income status changes, you will need to report this to the domestic relations center during the time you are paying child support.