How does child support work in nc

In cases of shared physical custody, i. These include, but are not limited to, the incomes of both parents, the number of children in need of support and the child custody arrangements. In actual practice, obtaining a deviation from the child support guidelines is typically quite difficult. In addition to direct support payments to the other parent, a parent may also be obligated to contribute to childcare costs and other expenses, including medical insurance coverage for the minor child.

Income that may be excluded from the calculation of a child support obligation includes support received for other children, food benefits, and other forms of general public assistance, just to name a few. The state of North Carolina provides online worksheets to help determine the amount of support required by a parent. Custody issues must have been resolved, at least on a temporary basis, as the worksheets differ depending on the custody time arrangement that applies.

From time to time, the amount of child support as determined by these Guidelines may not meet the needs of the child. Blood or tissue samples may be used for testing. Test results may provide peace of mind to parents who establish paternity voluntarily.

Results may be presented as evidence in legal proceedings to establish paternity. Establishment of Support Obligations A legal order must be established that specifies the amount of support to be paid for the benefit of a child. The successful establishment of a support order depends upon several critical areas: Locating the Noncustodial Parent. Determining the financial needs of the child.

Identifying what he or she can pay. These guidelines are based on the needs of the child ren and on the ability of parents to pay. The Guidelines are used to compute a child support obligation based on the combined gross income of the custodial parent and NCP.

Either the NCP can agree voluntarily to the amount of support or the obligation can be established through court action. Payments methods include: Direct payments. Income withholding. Interception of tax refunds. Enforcement of Support Obligations Establishing a child support order is no guarantee that the noncustodial parent will pay the support.

Employers are required to withhold income for child support orders that are enforced by other states. Income withholding can be initiated with entities other than employers when the Noncustodial Parent has other sources of income, such as: Unemployment insurance benefits UIB. When a marriage ends in North Carolina, or when unmarried people who have a child break up, both parents are responsible for providing support to their child or children.

The non-custodial parent, on the other hand, usually has to provide child support in the form of cash, check, electronic payments, or wage-withholding under a structure determined either by the court or by mutual agreement between the parents. In most cases, a court in North Carolina will set child support according to a strict mathematical calculation established in the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines.

This calculation takes a number of different factors into account, including:. In most counties in North Carolina, one or both parents must file a financial affidavit using a specific form. Regardless of how child support is initially set, the court always has the authority to modify a child support arrangement based on a petition from either parent. If the court established the amount of child support by order in your case, you and your attorney will need to produce evidence of a substantial change in circumstances to successfully petition for a change in that amount.

If you and your former spouse established the amount of support through a mutual agreement, though, the court may decide to change the amount of support in this situation even without a change in circumstances.