Things You'll Need:
- Most recent tax returns
- W2s or 1099s
- Paycheck stubs
- Documents related to any other income or expenses (child care, health insurance, disability)
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Step 1
California law allows child support to be determined via special calculators that compute payment amounts based on standard variables of income (including money, property, services) and expenses (including taxes, mandatory contributions, support for other children). Before using the calculator, gather the above listed items for both you and the other parent. Use reasonable estimates if you do not have access to the other parent's financial data.
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Step 2
Determine the monthly amount for each income or expense. For example, if you pay car insurance in one lump some each year, divide the amount of the bill by 12 to ascertain the average monthly "payment".
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Step 3
Go to the California Child Support Services website. Click on the "Calculate Child Support" link in the menu on the left side. Click on "Go To Calculator" and enter each income or expense where applicable.
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Step 4
At the end of the form click "Calculate". The dollar amount shown will be an estimate. Due to minor differences in calculators and variances in the way data can be input, the judge or your attorney may determine a sightly different child support payment amount. However, if you were able to key in all actual data (without any estimates), the calculated amount on your screen should be within a reasonable range of what the court will determine.
Comments
iamageniuster said
on 10/30/2008 Very neat article. Great stuff you got here. 5 stars!