How much should you give to your child as a form of support every month? Although no amount of money will be able to replace the kind of good parenting you can provide your child if the marriage were still together, child support is the next best thing to having a complete family. One parent will always be assigned to live with the child, and the other one who was not chosen shall pay child support thereof. The amount of child support depends on a lot of things. So before you get confused how much you should pay for child support, here are some basic guidelines you must keep in mind:
• Both parents may be granted child custody. In court, this is referred to as shared custody. This means that both parents must agree on the schedule when the child will be living with them and when the child will be living with their spouse. Although such cases are rare, it is still possible for both parents to get shared custody.
• If only one parent is given custody, the other parent must provide child support to cover all the basic needs of the child. The amount shall be based on the current market value of the things that the child needs. If the amount to be given every month needs to be adjusted, everything should be done through the court with the proper ruling.
• Parents who are not given custody shall be given access rights. The term access refers to the idea of visiting the child on a regular basis. The schedule of the access must be discussed with the parent who has been granted custody. Although the time together may be limited, access pass shall allow the parent actually to parent their kids and help them grow.
• Child support is shared by both parents, including the one who has been given custody. However, there might be a huge difference in the amount that each parent pays because the court considers the effort required to raise the child. The parent provided custody might pay a little less than the one who was only granted access pass.
• Payments received as child support shall not be taxed. They will be considered as deductions and shall be exempted from taxes. Although this may sound very controversial, this is the law, and everyone who goes through the divorce must understand this. Failing to pay for child support may require you to pay out in cash the total amount that is dues to you.
Child support is not just about providing what the kid needs and wants. It is about sharing the responsibility of raising the children to become good people of the society despite the divorce in the family.