Here at the office of Robert G. Spaugh, Attorney at Law, we have extensive experience in divorce law. Our team has helped countless couples finalize their legal separations over the years, and as part of that effort, we have helped negotiate matters of child support as well. In our experience, we have found that there is a great deal of misinformation, or at least misunderstanding, surrounding the topic of child support, so we have put together this article to start setting the record straight.
- Myth: Child support money belongs to the custodial parent. One mistaken idea that many people have about child support payments is that the money belongs to the parent with physical custody of the child. In reality, the money belongs to the child—these payments are intended to provide for their care, so the custodial parent must use it for that purpose.
- Myth: You don’t have to make child support payments if the other parent agrees to let the matter drop. Child support payments are not about the parents; they are for providing for the child’s needs. This means that no one can talk or bargain their way out of having to financially support their children.
- Myth: Child support is calculated based on the parents’ salaries alone. In reality, the court considers a variety of income streams when calculating how much child support a parent must pay. If you have received monetary gifts, capital gains, severance pay, gambling winnings, bonuses, or any other form of income, the court will factor those into the equation when determining your child support payments.