Determining child support is an unavoidable part of the divorce and custody process in Iowa. For clients, child support can be a concern and a cause of stress. How child support is determined, however, is not a mystery.
At it's simplest, child support is calculated using the parties' income, but it also takes into account other things, such as day care expenses and insurance premiums. The actual amount of your child support is most directly affected by the visitation schedule (for example, a parent with shared physical care will pay a much lower child support amount then if he does not have shared care).
Unlike many other custody issues, child support boils down to math, based on the amount of income each party makes. And that is where the true fight often lies - proving what the party's real income is. It is not always as simple as checking tax records or pay stubs.
The forms you need to file in a child support matter are often overwhelming to go it alone. And if you ignore the paperwork that you have received, you will more than likely be ordered to pay child support based upon the income that the opposing attorney has stated that you earn. If the other party is represented by an attorney, you should consider getting legal advice from a local attorney, such as one of the great family law attorneys at Carr & Wright.
