On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in child support on Friday, January 4, 2019.
Most in Bloomington may recognize the need for divorced parents to pay child support in order to ensure that their kids are well-cared for. Yet the amount that is actually needed may often become a hot topic for debate. Many may think that all that should be required in child support is what is needed to meet a kid’s basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, health care). they often may base that number of what their individual frames of references are. For this reason, news of the large amounts that divorcing celebrities are ordered to pay on child support often seem astonishing.
Take the recent case of popular male model Jeremy Meeks. As part of his recent divorce settlement, he agreed to pay his ex-wife $1,000 per month in child support. While at first that may not seem to be such an exorbitant an amount, perceptions may change when one learns that the couple shares only one child together. Child support is typically not the sole obligation of one parent, either. Most state calculation formulas require each parent to contribute a portion of the ordered obligation equal to the percentage they contribute to the family’s income. Thus, Meeks’ ex-wife may likely also be paying her portion.
Yet an important point to remember about child support is that it is not intended to only support a child’s needs; it is meant to help them sustain the same standard of living they enjoyed while their parents were together. For this reason, the parents combined income is considered when making a child support determination (meaning parents who make more will likely be required to pay more). Of course, those paying child support want to ensure that their obligations are fair. Working with an attorney may help ensure that happens.
