How do You Calculate Child Support?

This page was created to help you understand how to calculate child support. Please do not consider this as legal advice. If you have questions, please contact the experienced, child support lawyer, Anthony Montagna, III at 757-625-3500.

To calculate child support, one must first decide how many children require support. Second, one must decide if the calculation will be based on a shared custody or a sole custody basis. Third, one must determine the gross income of the parties and give either party a credit for any money paid pursuant to another child support order or for any of their other children that live with the party. Fourth, one must look at the schedule of monthly child support obligations in Section 20-108.2 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. Fifth, one must determine the amount of child day care, if any, and the cost to insure the child. After acquiring all of the information, the individual needs to calculate support pursuant to the sole or shared custody formula.

It is important to read the code carefully. The code defines days and explains how to properly compute the support obligation. When the non physical custodian reaches the threshold number of days, the court is obligated to change from a sole custody determination to a shared custody determination.