Income for Child Support
Below are some of the factors a court considers to determine how much income a payer has to pay support with:
Gross Income
Gross Income is defined as all income and earnings from all sources. The income may or may not be taxable. Income can be in the form of money, property, or services.
Gross Income Includes:
- wages, salaries, earnings, tips, interest, capital gains, commissions, and bonuses
- worker's compensation or other personal injury awards intended to replace income
- unemployment insurance
- income continuation benefits and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) payments
- voluntary contributions to retirement and cafeteria plans and undistributed income of a corporation
- military allowances and veterans benefits
Gross Income Does Not Include:
- child support
- public assistance payments such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), W-2 cash payments, or FoodShare (food stamps)
Ability to Earn
The court can consider a parent's ability to earn based on:
- past earnings
- current physical and mental health
- history of child care responsibilities and periods of physical placement
- Example: A parent is the primary caretaker of the child and has remained at home with the child rather than working outside the home
- education, training, and current work experience
- local job openings
Imputed Income from Assets
Income may be imputed from such assets as:
- Life insurance
- Cash and deposit accounts
- Stocks and Bonds
- Business interests
Available Income
If a parent supports more than one family, the parent's income for support may be reduced by earlier support obligations. Available income for child support is considered the parent's income minus support for earlier obligations. The serial-family parent guidelines may be used to estimate a parent's income available for support.
For more information, please see Administrative Rule DCF 150, Appendix B
More information on Court Orders for Child Support