In California, both parents must financial provide for the well-being of their child. Contrary to popular belief, both parents end up paying some form of child support for their child’s necessities. This is large part due to the connection between child support and visitation. The more time a parent spends with his/her child, the less financial contribution they will need to provide to the other parent. On the other hand, the more time a parent spends away from his/her child, the more financial support he/she will need to provide to the other parent. Read on to learn more and the connection between visitation and child support.
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The Visitation and Child Support “Connection”
California child support payments are based on set guidelines. Within these guidelines, the court considers many factors to determine the amount of money each parent is responsible for contributing to the child’s total financial needs. Guideline child support calculations are based on such factors as:
- The monthly income of each parent
- Each parent’s timeshare visitation with children
- Child support add-ons
The non-custodial parent usually pays child support to the custodial parent. The amount of money paid each month will depend on how much time the non-custodian parent spends with his/her child. Usually, the more visitation time a non-custodian parent has, the less he/she has to pay in child support. In this regard, visitation and child support are directly connected to each other.
In addition to paying baseline child support, parents also share the cost of child support add-ons. Child support add-ons include health insurance and daycare costs. Most add-on costs are split 50/50 between parents unless a parent can prove they have a financial hardship.
The court will likely enter a support order that uses the guideline formula. Parents can agree to a different child support amount above the guideline-recommended amount. Contact A People’s Choice to learn more information about how parents can mediate child support disputes.
How to Obtain a Visitation and Child Support Order
The biggest hurdle in obtaining a custody, visitation and child support order is filing the correct forms with the court. At A People’s Choice, we can help you draft the legal documents you need to get a new order or change an existing visitation and child support order. A parent may need to modify a current order in the event the other parent is not following a court-ordered visitation schedule or makes more money than initially reported.
When child custody is at issue, the court will almost always order mandatory mediation before the hearing. At mediation, the parents can enter into a written agreement if they can agree on all issues. Contact us for help in completing the required forms to file with the court along with your written agreement.
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