How is Indiana child support calculated?

On Behalf of | Jun 14, 2019 | Children And Divorce/Child Custody, Family Law And Divorce

Like other states, Indiana legally requires both parents to provide financial support for their child or children. The family court determines a payment amount for one or both parents based on an established formula.

Learn more about the factors that influence Indiana child support. You can also consult the state’s online child support calculator.

Income

Wages and other work-related payments constitute income for the purpose of Indiana child support. If a parent is self-employed, his or her income has work expenses deducted before calculating child support.

Survivor benefits, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps and other public assistance programs do not count as income when calculating child support. If a parent is currently unemployed or underemployed, the judge can calculate support based on an average of his or her prior income.

Deductions

Next, the court calculates adjusted gross income by making deductions for additional children in the parent’s household, court-ordered support for other children, court-ordered spousal support and health care costs for the child deducted from the parent’s paycheck.

Percentage determination

When each parent has calculated an adjusted gross income, the court adds these figures and determines the percentage of each parent’s income. For example, if a mother makes $2,000 per week and a father makes $1,500 per week, the father’s contribution is about 43% and the mothers is about 57%.

Payment determination

Returning to the example above, in this case, the mother would pay the father $245 per week in child support. However, this amount is also reduced based on how often each parent keeps the child overnight.

Your child is eligible for support whether you are divorcing or you were never married to the other parent. If you are seeking support for your minor child or children from the other parent, apply for services with the state child support office in your county. The agency can help you locate a noncustodial parent, establish a legal child support order and file for and collect past-due child support payments.