A respected Family Law Attorney explains how the courts calculate child support, the worksheets they use, and what factors they consider.

When calculating child support, the courts consider income, expenses for the child, who carries the child on insurance, and if there are extraordinary expenses like a wheelchair, therapy, or other major healthcare needs. Another factor they consider is other children outside of that relationship.

Once all this information is gathered, they simply use one of the worksheets. They use worksheet A if one parent has primary custody. This will give the receiving parent a higher amount of support. Worksheet B is for parents who have joint custody, at least 124 overnights each. This will substantially reduce the amount of support the receiving party is owed. And worksheet C is only used when one parent has primary custody of one child and the other parent has primary custody of a different child.

Anyone can find and use these worksheets on the NC Child Support website, however, it’s important to use the formulas correctly so it’s a good idea to have an experienced attorney go over them. It’s especially important if one person makes money in cash, for example, someone who works for tips. The bank records need to be subpoenaed and all income going into their accounts needs to be examined. It’s also important to note, the worksheets are only appropriate for those couples that jointly earn less than $30,000 a month. If their combined income is greater than that, they must go to court and have a judge decide what is fair and reasonable for the child.