If I Get An Equal 50/50 Custody Schedule Will There Be Child Support?
These days it is very common to see both Mothers and Fathers and their attorneys in divorce or other family law cases end up with equal parenting schedules parenting also referred to as a 50/50 schedule. This means that the children in the case will spend an equal amount of their time with each parent either by agreement or by judicial order. Many people have the mistaken belief that having this type of visitation schedule will result in no child support payment being ordered. This simply is not true unless both parents earn the exact same income and equally divide other child-related expenses such as daycare and the child’s health insurance.
How Is Child Support Calculated in a Divorce and How Can Sean Smallwood, P.A. Help Me?
Child support is calculated based on several different factors including the incomes of both parents. If one parent earns more than the other and there is equal or 50/50 visitation then there is a very good chance that there will be a child support order for the parent who earns the most to pay some amount to the other parent.
In reality when litigants are going through a divorce or other family law issue where child support is an issue it is critically important to make sure that a qualified attorney has sat down with you and run child support guidelines calculations. This is important to ensure that you know ahead of time what child support amount will be attributed to a certain type of time-sharing schedule. You must be armed with this information before you sit down at the negotiating table.
Of course, there are many complicated factors that go into figuring child support and there is no substitute for good legal advice from an experienced attorney.
At the end of the day matters involving children should be resolved based on what is in the child’s best interests, but you need to be informed as to whether or not you will be responsible for paying child support to the other parent prior to signing any agreement.
If you have a child support issue then Sean Smallwood, P.A. can help. Contact us today.
Sean Smallwood is an Orlando divorce attorney for the law firm Sean Smallwood, Orlando Divorce & Family Law P.A. where he represents clients in all areas of family law and divorce. 100% of the practice is devoted to family law. As an attorney in Orlando, he has helped many families with a wide variety of family law cases including Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, and many other issues.
