When a client comes into my office as an experienced Buffalo Child Support Attorney, one of the important questions they ask is, “How much will I have to pay for child support?” The rule of thumb is that if you have one child, you’ll pay 17% of your net income. If you have two children, you’ll pay 25%. If you have three children, you’ll pay 29%. If you have four children, you’ll pay 31%. If you have five children, you’ll pay 35%. Those numbers are set out in the Child Support Standards Act, which is the law of New York State. The final amount can be negotiated between Mom and Dad during the divorce process.
Absent any other sort of agreement, the basic approach is that you look up the number of children you have and that will determine the amount you pay. Generally, you do the calculation like this. Take your gross income from all sources, dock any FICA payments that are taken out of your paycheck, and apply the percentage set forth in the Act, based on the number of children you have. For example, if you have two children, it would be 25%. That’s a very easy way to calculate the amount of your child support.
Are you trying to determine how much you will pay or receive in child support? Contact dedicated Buffalo Divorce Attorney Michael Ranzenhofer for navigation.
This educational legal blog was brought to you by Michael Ranzenhofer, an experienced Buffalo Child Support Attorney.