Child Support Dirty Tricks to Avoid in Frederick Md Custody Cases (Daycare):

Some parents may attempt to artificially inflate work related child care expenses

“The Daycare Dodge”

I have discussed the child support guidelines and how to use them in two(2) companion articles Child Support, Using the Child Support Guidelines and Child Care: Daycare, A Child Support Guideline Factor If you read those articles you will see that the parent who pays child support is called the “payor” parent. How much the payor pays is based upon his/her “basic” child support obligation plus qualified expenses and the bottom line monthly obligation for the payor is deemed the “total” child support obligation.

We can get our arms around the “basic” child support obligation with only two criteria namely incomes for the parents and number of overnights (see Child Support, Frederick, Maryland, Factors, Overnights) If the child support calculation stopped there, it would leave only income as a wild card in the calculations. It does not stop there, the “total’ child support obligation is the real bottom line.

So, after we get the “basic” child support, the “below the line expenses” borne by the payee parent get factored into the “total” child support obligation. If these expenses are qualified expenses such as daycare, health insurance and medical expenses they increase the obligation “pro-rata.” Now pro-rata just means: “in proportion.” The proportion which the guidelines dictates is: the proportion of each parent’s income to the combined incomes.

For example, if a payee earns ⅓ of the parents’ combined incomes then the payor owes ⅔ of any qualified expenses and his child support obligation is increased by ⅔ of that qualified expense. So, if a payee parent pays (or claims to pay) $600 in daycare, it increases the payors bottom line child support by $400.

Divorce Lawyers in Frederick Maryland

OUR PHONES ARE ANSWERED 24/7
CALL US NOW AT 301-865-1101

The Custody Place
322 West Patrick Street #201
FREDERICK MARYLAND 21701