Child support is one of the most critical divorce-related issues that you may endure. Whether you believe you are being asked to pay an unfair amount of child support or you believe you are entitled to receive child support, you should properly prepare your defense for the New Jersey courts. Find out how a proficient Morristown child support lawyer at Graves Andrews, LLC can work as your advocate throughout these child support decisions.
How do New Jersey courts calculate their child support decisions?
New Jersey law requires that you and your spouse financially support your child after your divorce. This is because if you were still married, you both would naturally combine your incomes to support your child’s needs; so the goal is to upkeep your child’s standard of living to which they grew accustomed.
Nevertheless, New Jersey courts will turn to the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines. These guidelines essentially state that families with a combined yearly net income between $8,840 and $187,200 will have to share the child’s expenses proportionally. In most cases, the financially independent parent will be the payor while the other parent will be the payee.
But specifically, the way that New Jersey courts do this is by first determining you and your spouse’s gross income, which includes all earned and unearned income that is recurring or will raise the income over some time. Then, net income is determined by subtracting from the gross income certain payments, such as taxes, alimony, union dues, etc. With this, the amount of support due is based on you and your spouse’s combined net weekly incomes and the number of children you have.
What other factors do New Jersey courts use to determine child support decisions?
Besides the aforementioned calculations, there is a wage range of other factors that the New Jersey courts will consider to determine a child support settlement agreement. This is especially the case if you or your spouse fall outside of the child support guidelines in New Jersey, or if there are other complicating circumstances. With that being said, the court will examine the following additional factors to determine your child support agreement:
- The child’s standard of living.
- You and your spouse’s age and health.
- Your child’s medical, educational, and other needs.
- You and your spouse’s yearly salaries.
- You and your spouse’s assets and liabilities.
- You and your spouse’s earning capacities.
- The child custody agreement that is in place.
- If your child has special needs.
If you have any further questions about your child support proceedings, do not hesitate in consulting with a talented Morristown family law attorney today.
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Contact Graves Andrews, LLC to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced Morris County family law attorneys to learn more about our services and how we can assist you.
