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Calculate Child Support Payments in Washington
How to Use the Washington Child Support Estimator
Using the Washington child support calculator is simple. You simply type in or select the required information for each of the calculator's inquiries. Once the form has been filled out, you then hit the "calculate" button to receive a rough estimate of how much child support is due.
Potential Deviations
Child support orders that do not fit squarely within state guidelines are allowed and known as deviations. Judges are permitted to order these deviations when factors and circumstances related to justice and equity require a child to receive a higher monthly child support payment than normally required by state guidelines. For example, a child with disabilities may have extra expenses not typically found in other cases, leading a judge to order a deviation.
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Free ConsultationHow Child Support Is Calculated in Washington
Washington child support calculations are made the same way in the courts throughout the entire state. The income shares model is employed to arrive at the payments. It takes into account two primary factors: the combined income of the parents and the total number of dependent children who may receive child support (information gleaned from a state worksheet). It is important to note, however, that the amount of care time a parent puts in does not factor into the calculation of child support payments.
Also factoring into the court's child support calculations is each parent's percentage of the total combined monthly income. Generally speaking, high-income parents pay the most child support, while lower-income parents are the biggest receivers of child support payments in Washington.
Step 1: Determine the Combined Monthly Net Income
Step 1 involves finding a parent's monthly gross income, which includes income from work, spousal maintenance, and investments. The court will then subtract the parent's tax obligations, retirement contributions, spousal maintenance obligations, and other potential approved deductions or expenses. The resulting figure is the parent's net income. The court combines this with the other parent's net income to get the combined monthly net income.
Step 2: Find the Basic Support Obligation
With the parents' combined net income calculated, the court will next seek to determine the basic child support obligation. This figure, which is the basic legal amount (sans deviation) a child should receive each month, is determined by the courts through the use of an economic table based on the monthly income of both parents and the number of children needing child support.
Step 3: Calculate Each Parent's Share of Income
This task is easily completed by taking a parent's individual net income and dividing it by the combined net monthly income of both parents.
For example, Billy makes $1,500 net per month, and Jill makes $2,000 net. Together, their combined net monthly income is $3,500. To find Billy's proportionate share, you simply divide 1,500 by 3,500, and you get .42, or 42%.
Step 4: Determine the Paying Parent's Support Obligation
Determining the paying parent's obligations requires the court to take into account various factors, including:
- The number of children
- Education costs
- Healthcare costs
- Special considerations, such as disabled or ill children
- Daycare and childcare expenses
In every case, the court will use all available, relevant factors and information to order as fair a monthly child support payment as possible. The help of an attorney is strongly suggested here.
Low-Income Exceptions
When the non-custodial parent has an income below 125% of the federal poverty guideline, the judge in the case has the discretion to order a lower child support payment for that parent. However, the minimum amount of child support that must be paid in every case is $50 per child. Payments may also be lowered when the parents' combined net income is less than $1,000.
Additional Expenses
Child support consists of monthly payments that are intended to cover normal, everyday expenses, such as food, shelter, and clothing. These payments are not meant to address other costs and expenses in a child's life, such as medical bills, tuition, and more. Any necessary outlays that are in addition to a child's routine expenses should be addressed in the parenting plan.
Modifications
A parent may seek to alter a child support order by adjustment or modification. Adjustments are typically handled by way of a motion and usually only deal with changes that are considered non-complex, such as adjusting a monthly child support payment. Modifications, which are requested by petition, are mainly for complex alterations to child support orders, such as adding or removing children from an order of support.
Enforcement
Washington state has support enforcement mechanisms in place to deal with parents who do not pay child support when they should. One of them involves contempt of court charges if the court determines the parent willingly refused to pay. The court may also pursue a parent's wages and income, suspend their driver's and professional licenses, and even place liens on their property.
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