How is Child Support Calculated in GA?

When you have sole or primary physical custody of your child, the other parent is usually responsible for paying child support. When you have joint physical custody with the other parent, the higher-earning parent usually pays support. The judge will typically determine the child support payment amounts using the state guidelines. If you and your co-parent have a different amount in mind, you must request approval or modification from the court.

Example of Child Support Calculation in GA

Georgia has an online child support calculator, which you can use to calculate child support. However, it can be difficult to use for many people. To give you an idea, here are some steps to calculate child support in GA:

Calculate the adjusted monthly gross income. Add all monthly taxable income from salary, wages, Social Security, unemployment benefits, and other income sources. To get your adjusted income, subtract all qualifying deductions, including support payments you receive for your other children. Do the same process with your co-parent’s earnings data to determine their adjusted income.
Combine both adjusted incomes. Simply add both of your adjusted gross monthly incomes to determine your combined adjusted income.
Determine both of your percentages of income. You must divide each of your adjusted incomes by the combined income and round the result to the second decimal.
Figure out your combined basic child support obligation. You can find this number here by locating your combined income in the left hand column. You can round down if you can’t find the exact number for your combined income. Follow the row across to the column for the number of kids in your case. Your combined support obligation is the number you land on.
Determine both of your basic support obligations. You must multiply the combined support obligation by each of your percentages of income to determine your individual support obligation.
Health insurance premiums paid for the child must also be calculated

You should also know that judges, under certain circumstances, can deviate from the child support amount guidelines. They can award less or more than the dictated guideline amount in certain situations, such as those involving these factors:

One parent has a significantly lower income. For instance, if the noncustodial parent’s income is below or at minimum wage.
Either parent has high income. Judges usually deviate from the support guidelines if the parents have a high combined income.
Mortgage payments paid for the home the child is living in. Judges will consider the costs of housing a child.
Travel expenses. Judges will consider a parent’s visitation-related traveling expenses.
Parenting time. While there’s no set adjustment for parenting time, judges usually reduce the support amount to account for the increased direct expenses a noncustodial parent shoulders.
Extraordinary expenses. Expenses related to caring for a child with special needs and accommodations or sending a child to private school may raise the total child support amount.

Seek Legal Assistance From an Experienced Forsyth County Child Support Attorney Now

Need more information on child support or help negotiating, modifying, or enforcing an existing child support order? The Forsyth County child support attorney at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland can help. Set up your free case evaluation with our Forsyth County child support attorney by calling 770-887-1209 or sending us a message online.