Child support

Child Support Attorney Serving Greenwood, Indiana

PARENTAL INCOME FOR PURPOSES OF CALCULATING CHILD SUPPORT

In Indiana, child support is based on a parent’s ability to pay and the needs of the children. This means that we ensure that our clients are very well prepared before the child support hearing. We assist our clients with obtaining the other parent’s income, which may include (but is not limited to):

• Wages, salary, tips, and gratuities
• Overtime, commissions, bonuses and other forms of employment-based compensation
• Retirement plan, pension, insurance contract, annuity, trust, and profit-sharing distributions
• Business earnings and self-employment income
• Interest earned on investments
• Certain gifts from family, friends, and others

Additionally, while certain deductions will reduce a spouse’s net income for purposes of calculating child support, some deductions that are available for federal and state income tax purposes are not factored into Indiana’s child support formula.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES (OR LACK THEREOF) AND CHILD SUPPORT

It is important for parents to be proactive and obtain the necessary income information from the other parent. While the litigation is ongoing, parents may provide the other parent or third parties, such as an employer, with a discovery request to obtain this necessary information. Because the child support income or obligation usually impacts a parent’s ability to pay living expenses, intentional efforts to hide sources of income are fairly common. Law Office of Lindsey Williams uses a variety of different discovery methods to determine whether the other parent has more to disclose.

THE CHILDREN’S NEEDS AND OTHER FACTORS FOR DETERMINING CHILD SUPPORT

In addition to considering both parents’ sources of income, the Indiana Child Support Formula also considers the children’s unique financial needs. The law breaks these needs down into three basic categories of expenses:

• Base support obligations (including food, shelter, clothing and other basic needs)
• Medical support obligations
• Child care expense obligations up to the age of 12

Various other factors also influence the calculation of support, including the number of children to be supported and whether the parents have additional children from other relationships.