ot: question about child support

[taraprather]

I went in for child support 6 years ago. I didn't have a job at the time and my ex was ordered to pay $50.00 a week for our son. After court my lawyer told me to get back in contact with her when I got a job and we'll bring him back to court.
I just got done filling out the paperwork to get it increased (I guess you're allowed to do that every 3 years). I now have a job that I recently got. My question is this....will he have to pay more if I have a job? How do they figure it exactly?
Don't know if this matters, but I'm in Ohio!
Thanks!!!

 

[formernyer]

Calculations vary by state. Most states are now using a calculation which involves assessing the income of both parents.

I'm not from Ohio, so I don't know the specifics there, but it's very easy to google for your answer.

 

[OhioGrumpyGirl]

When my child support was calculated, they took into consideration my job and how much I paid for day care also. I don't think it made much of a difference because he worked for a place his dad owns and only worked about 10 hours per week (according ot payroll -- he got paid in cash for the other 30 but CSEA told me that they have to take his word that he only works that much and they can't investigate it). So anyway, he only has to pay 12.50 a week.

 

[rlduvall]

As formernyer said, it varies from state to state.

I am absolutely not giving legal advice, I am just explaining how it works in Oklahoma (I work in the legal field, thus the necessary disclaimer ). Oklahoma takes the income of both parents, combines it, then assigns the percentage of income each person contributes, i.e. Mother's income: $500/mos. + Father's income: $1,500/mos. = $2,000. Father's income is 75% of the total monthly income. A statutory chart (in other words, the Oklahoma legislature sets the amounts) then states that based upon a total monthly income of $2,000./mos (both parents' combined income) total child support for 1 child, 2 children, 3 children, etc. would be $250., $350., $450., respectively. (Making the $$ amounts up just for example purposes) The non-custodial parent (Father in this case) is then required to pay 75% of $250. if 1 child = $188.; 75% of $350. if 2 children = $263.; 75% if 3 children = $338. This contribution % (75% in our example) also applies to daycare and health/dental insurance.

Hope I didn't confuse you too much and hope this helps a little!

Edited to add that in order to keep Parents from hiding their income (as happened to OhioGrumpyGirl) or not working in order to avoid child support, the least income either party can make is minimum wage for a 40 hour work week.

 

[perd]

So anyway, he only has to pay 12.50 a week.

 

[Darcy03231]

I work in the legal field in NH and our child support is calculated similar to what rlduvall posted. The calculation also takes into consideration who pays the health insurance for the children, any child care expenses, and any mandatory retirement.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

When my child support was calculated, they took into consideration my job and how much I paid for day care also. I don't think it made much of a difference because he worked for a place his dad owns and only worked about 10 hours per week (according ot payroll -- he got paid in cash for the other 30 but CSEA told me that they have to take his word that he only works that much and they can't investigate it). So anyway, he only has to pay 12.50 a week.

Hello another under CS paid mom. My ex only has to pay 15.00 a week. I do not work but they took into consideration my DH's income.

 

[cinamin27]

When my child support was calculated, they took into consideration my job and how much I paid for day care also. I don't think it made much of a difference because he worked for a place his dad owns and only worked about 10 hours per week (according ot payroll -- he got paid in cash for the other 30 but CSEA told me that they have to take his word that he only works that much and they can't investigate it). So anyway, he only has to pay 12.50 a week.

Hello another under CS paid mom. My ex only has to pay 15.00 a week. I do not work but they took into consideration my DH's income.

I'll join the club - you ladies get WAY more than me - I get a big FAT NUTHIN! LOL - oy & men complain how women are gold diggers....dont even get me started on the dead beat dads!

but to answer the OP from my experience, in FL they based the child support on my income & his income & figured it with some sort of formula. you can probably check your states child support website & it may list an idea of the formula there - oooowww, even better, I googled Ohio child support & found a calculator http://www.alllaw.com/calculators/Childsupport/ohio/
hope this helps, GOOD LUCK!!

here is Ohio's child support website, maybe you can find more info there:
http://jfs.ohio.gov/Ocs/

From the FAQ's

Child Support Guidelines Questions & Answers

Q. What are the child support guidelines?

A. The Child Support Guidelines are guidelines passed by the Ohio legislature which calculate child support orders based upon the financial circumstances of both parents. Use of these guidelines is required for the establishment or modification of all child support orders in Ohio. The amount of child support which is calculated using the worksheets and schedules contained in these guidelines is presumed under the law to be the correct amount of child support in each case.



Q. Are the earnings of both parents considered in setting support?

A. Yes.



Q. Are there any adjustments allowed for second families in the guidelines?

A. Yes. The guidelines allow an adjustment equal to the federal tax exemption for each child who is your biological child from another relationship, as long as the child is living with you. If you are the custodial parent of a child, your adjustment will factor in any child support received for that child.



Q. Do the guidelines allow an adjustment for the parent who is paying for child care?

A. Yes. The guidelines provide a credit for child care expenses for those children included in the order, relating to work, employment training or education.

 

[Chloesmom]

I am in Ohio also and have sadly been fighting my ex for 4 years now over child support. What part of ohio are you in? I wanted to let you know that you do not need a lawyer to refile for a child support adjustment. Your local Child Support Enforcement agency will do this for you for free and gladly ( they get a percentage.. the more you get the more they get). Also.. you can refile in Ohio as much as you need to as long as the outcome results in a 30%( I think that was the percentage) or greater adjustment. You CSEA can help you with all of this.. I just hate to see you fork out for a lawyer when you dont have to. I know how expensive that all is.
Oh.. and they do calculate it here in Ohio pretty much like rlduvall said. they add both incomes.. figure out what it costs to have child and then use a percentage to figure out support.

 

[taraprather]

I sent the paperwork in the mail today! Currently I only get $50.00 a week because when we went to court I didn't have a job and my ex stated he didn't have one either so the judge ask him what he could afford to pay
I haven't seen or talked to my ex since that court date so that's why I haven't been pushing it. Well, I only get 10 more years of child support and I want to make the most of it lol.
Oh yeah, when I first went and filed for child support he was ordered to pay me $540.00 a month!!! That only lasted for like 3 months before he brought me back to court to get it changed.

 

[ZPT1022]

When my child support was calculated, they took into consideration my job and how much I paid for day care also. I don't think it made much of a difference because he worked for a place his dad owns and only worked about 10 hours per week (according ot payroll -- he got paid in cash for the other 30 but CSEA told me that they have to take his word that he only works that much and they can't investigate it). So anyway, he only has to pay 12.50 a week.

that just makes me sick. Sounds like your ex is so hung up on not helping you that he is willing to put the child in the middle. what a sick person

 

[tmarquez]

I just wanted to add something for those of you with really low orders (if the guy is paying). If you are not getting satisfaction from your state child support agency, it is not that hard to take it to court yourself (even without a lawyer). And you may get much better results.

My husband and I paid child support for his son from a previous marriage for almost 3 years even though the child lived with us (didn't even really visit his mother). We tried to have it fixed through the child support office (in FL) and got nowhere. Finally I went to the courthouse and they have a person on staff (pre se coordinator) there that will make sure you have all the paperwork you need and guide you through it. They cannot give legal advice, but they will do alot for you. We got a court date, and went in front of the judge without a lawyer, the child support agency had a lawyer there to represent her. It was painless, the judge fixed everything.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good people working for child support that will try to help (I actually work for FL child support now), but there are also those that don't care.

 

[MyZoeJane]

Wow! How do men get away with paying SO little in child support?!?! How on Earth does a person LIVE on that little??? Those of you without jobs who are living on $15 a week child support... how do you do it?

My DH pays $760 a month to his ex-wife in child support and he thinks what he pays is fair! Ugh.. deadbeat dads suck.

 

[snomofinn]

My friend gets 800.00 for 1 child. Her new husband has custody of his 2 boys, which are now in high school and HIS ex pays HIM $2,500/month! In Illinois it goes according to how much income the father has, it's a percentage.

 

[taximomfor4]

I, too, live in Ohio. When I was going in for our child support hearing for my oldest dd, I was only working part time evenings. I had 4 children at the time, and if I waanted to work full time it had to be in the daytime which meant daycare for 3 of the children. My ex got the child support he pays REDUCED because they "allocated" income to me. They figured me at my job FULL TIME, but they cannot "allocate" daycare. I would have been better off switching to fulltime days, and paying daycare for a while during the hearings. Working full time and paying daycare (as opposed to working half time and NOT paying daycare) would have resulted in a loss of $82/week in income for me. THEN I could have switched back to part time evenings and not needed daycare anymore.

My ex is famous for getting the child support reduced every time one of us has a change in circumstances. It gets annoying after a while. I just wanted to tell him to suck it up and pay. (Not like he has ever had to pay more than $400/month -- and usually, it is much less.)

My sister's ex (he is in Nebraska, she is in Ohio) is only ordered to pay like $60 or $80/MONTH. He doesn't, though. She got only one check last year, for $6. Yes, I said $6.

I also agree that you probably don't need a lawyer for a child support review. In Ohio, like many states, the order is based on a specific formula on a worksheet. I've had to do it a time or 2, lol.

Beth

 

[Luv'sTink]

I get $15 a month. What do I do with it? LAUGH!

 

[smfritz03]

Hello another under CS paid mom. My ex only has to pay 15.00 a week. I do not work but they took into consideration my DH's income.

The reason they took your dh's income into play is because you choose to voluntary NOT work. That is the only time a spouse's support is taken into consideration. When a parent remarries and chooses to stay home, they will either compute based on what your earnings could be at your degree level or take into a spouses income.

Here in IN, you also get a credit for having another child and visitation credits depending on how many nights each year you have the child.

 

[mickeyfan2]

My friend gets 800.00 for 1 child. Her new husband has custody of his 2 boys, which are now in high school and HIS ex pays HIM $2,500/month! In Illinois it goes according to how much income the father has, it's a percentage.

My cousin, who lives in NJ, gets $1K/month/kid and another $1K/month in alimony. The alimony is until she remarries.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I, too, live in Ohio. When I was going in for our child support hearing for my oldest dd, I was only working part time evenings. I had 4 children at the time, and if I waanted to work full time it had to be in the daytime which meant daycare for 3 of the children. My ex got the child support he pays REDUCED because they "allocated" income to me. They figured me at my job FULL TIME, but they cannot "allocate" daycare. I would have been better off switching to fulltime days, and paying daycare for a while during the hearings. Working full time and paying daycare (as opposed to working half time and NOT paying daycare) would have resulted in a loss of $82/week in income for me. THEN I could have switched back to part time evenings and not needed daycare anymore.

My ex is famous for getting the child support reduced every time one of us has a change in circumstances. It gets annoying after a while. I just wanted to tell him to suck it up and pay. (Not like he has ever had to pay more than $400/month -- and usually, it is much less.)

My sister's ex (he is in Nebraska, she is in Ohio) is only ordered to pay like $60 or $80/MONTH. He doesn't, though. She got only one check last year, for $6. Yes, I said $6.

I also agree that you probably don't need a lawyer for a child support review. In Ohio, like many states, the order is based on a specific formula on a worksheet. I've had to do it a time or 2, lol.

Beth

If I understand this correctly your Ex is only the parent of your oldest. The three others are with your current DH. If that is the case then I agree with the state that your having more kids and needing to put them into daycare was your choice and he should not be penalized for that decision.

 

[tinan]

I too am not a lawyer, but another mom in OH. Yes, you can file the paperwork and no you do not need your attorney to be able to do this. First of all, if your ex is still claiming that he is not working or is working under the table your child support will actually get lowered not increased. As others have explained they take into account both parents wages and there are some various credits as well. For example, if your ex remarried and has other children, he would get credits for the other children, if he pays health ins. for your child, he will get credit for that, etc.

Although my ex is not a dead beat dad, he is a slimeball. This last summer, we lost our oldest daughter to an extremely rare form of cancer. Of course, child support is going to decline but I made the phone call to child support a couple of days after the funeral to make sure I had everything else in order. When I called the lady stated that my ex already called BEFORE the FUNERAL and she had already sent out paperwork. I was in total shock and said WHAT??? To put it mildly, child support department was in shock.