Protecting Children's and Parents' Rights
Child support payments enable children to get financial support from both of their parents, even if they are not currently living together. Making sure that child support obligations are calculated accurately protects both children's and parents' rights.
I'm attorney Donn Prokopius. Based in Las Vegas, I help clients throughout Southern Nevada pursue fair and appropriate child support determinations. I firmly believe that all of my clients deserve a lawyer who will listen to them and give personal attention to their important cases.
Understanding How Child Support Is Calculated
Nevada, like most other states, has specific mathematical guidelines for calculating child support in divorce, paternity and modification cases. If one parent has primary physical custody, the other parent's child support obligations are calculated using the following table:
| Number of Children | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Each Additional |
| Percentage of Gross Income | 18% | 25% | 29% | 31% | 2% |
This chart does not apply to everyone. Percentages are capped according to your gross monthly income. Additionally, when a child's parents share joint custody, a more complex child support calculator is used to take account of both parents' incomes and shares of parenting time in order to determine whether either will end up owing child support.
There are some other factors that may allow family court judges to approve deviations from the standard child support formula. In rare cases, one parent may choose to waive the right to child support payments, but the courts can cancel these waivers at any time.
Keeping an Eye Out for Complex Issues
Since gross income is such an important part of the child support calculation, it is important to get it measured accurately. Gross income for some people, particularly self-employed people and small business owners, may not be the same as what they report to the IRS.
It is also important to take into account factors such as who will be taking the tax deductions associated with the children and who will be paying for their medical care. To discuss any questions or concerns you may have about child support, contact me today.
