Anonymous wrote:I think that wages should only be garnished if the parent required to pay child support has shown an inability/unwillingness to pay on time/at all.

Not all dads are deadbeats...whether they are with their child(ren)'s mother or not. If mothers are going to be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to caring for the kids (until they prove otherwise) why does this not extend to dads?

Because missed payments can mean missed rent or not enough money to pay for food or utilities for some people. This is what happened to my sister. She didn't have his wages garnished because he "promised" to send child support. After months of missed payments, she finally had his wages garnished, and then he got really upset with her. I kept telling her to garnish his wages from the get go. They got a divorce because he was incredibly selfish and immature. That should've been red flag for her to garnish his wages, but she gave him the benefit of doubt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

Child support is to help cover the costs of basics...that doesn't necessarily include extras such as sports, tutoring, musical instruments, etc (those are not required). I am the poster who said that $800 is significant; but regardless of how one feels about the amount, it doesn't change the fact that child support orders are based on the incomes of the parents.

A calculator is used and it does not take into account those 'extras' mentioned earlier. Parents can negotiate the costs of those on their own.

The calculator (at least for Maryland) doesn't take into account housing, but it does take into account insurance.

Some extras can be negotiated between the parents, others like Childcare and Health Insurance are MANDATORY additions to the amount of child support awarded.

It sounds like you are saying that child support is calculated and after that the costs of childcare and health insurance are added. That is not true for the State of Maryland, where the child support order already takes into account the costs of childcare and health insurance. But don't take my word for it...here is a link to the worksheet:

http://www.dhr.state.md.us/CSOCGuide/App/worksheetA.do

You're wrong. Even in MD.

https://www.peoples-law.org/calculating-child-support

The pertinent part, copy and pasted:

1. Figure out each parent's actual income.

2. Figure out each parent's adjusted actual income or imputed income.

3. Add up both parents' adjusted actual incomes or their imputed incomes. The combined amount is plugged into the Guidelines chart to determine the "basic child support obligation."

4. Factor in some additional expenses, including health insurance costs, daycare costs and extraordinary medical expenses. This generates the "total child support obligation."

5. The non-custodial parent is responsible for paying a percentage of the total child support obligation.

The BASE support amount is based on a percentage of income. The TOTAL support amount includes a calculation of what percentage of health insurance, medical costs, and childcare each parent is required to pay.

Some states order the child support percentage to be reimbursed directly by the non-custodial parent (this is what my order requires - it is from a state several hundred miles from here), some include the cost of childcare in the monthly ordered amount. I prefer the way my order handles it, because then we don't have to change the order every time the child care amount changes.

Anonymous wrote:I think a garnishee solves a few problems. There's always proof support was paid, for one thing. Take it off the cheque, deposit it in the other parent's account. The divorced parents don't need to discuss money. Ideally.

My ex was one who went with unemployed/underemployed. There is no fix for that.

I agree that it does remove the need to discuss money, but it is (in my opinion) unfair to the paying parent to have this level of interference without allowing that parent the opportunity to demonstrate that they can and will pay their child support on time. If garnishment becomes a requirement, then I think it is only fair that the receiving parent be required to document how they are spending the child support dollars--after all, why should they get the benefit of the doubt, but the child support paying parent doesn't?

I do agree that more should be done about parents who don't pay and those who are deliberately under/unemployed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids before and after school care alone is $600 a month. You want to harass parents over $800 a month? Sheesh

And if you were receiving child support, you would get a percentage of income, PLUS a percentage of childcare costs.

Most people on this site have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to how child support is calculated, or what its for (step-moms I'm looking at you!).

Lol, if you are the one stating that you get a percentage of income PLUS a percentage of childcare, you are the one who doesn't know how it is calculated (or at a minimum, you are assuming that it is calculated the same way in every state). I'm the PP who posted a link to the worksheet.....and I'm a stepmom

I think a garnishee solves a few problems. There's always proof support was paid, for one thing. Take it off the cheque, deposit it in the other parent's account. The divorced parents don't need to discuss money. Ideally.

My ex was one who went with unemployed/underemployed. There is no fix for that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

Child support is to help cover the costs of basics...that doesn't necessarily include extras such as sports, tutoring, musical instruments, etc (those are not required). I am the poster who said that $800 is significant; but regardless of how one feels about the amount, it doesn't change the fact that child support orders are based on the incomes of the parents.

A calculator is used and it does not take into account those 'extras' mentioned earlier. Parents can negotiate the costs of those on their own.

The calculator (at least for Maryland) doesn't take into account housing, but it does take into account insurance.

Some extras can be negotiated between the parents, others like Childcare and Health Insurance are MANDATORY additions to the amount of child support awarded.

It sounds like you are saying that child support is calculated and after that the costs of childcare and health insurance are added. That is not true for the State of Maryland, where the child support order already takes into account the costs of childcare and health insurance. But don't take my word for it...here is a link to the worksheet:

http://www.dhr.state.md.us/CSOCGuide/App/worksheetA.do

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

Child support is to help cover the costs of basics...that doesn't necessarily include extras such as sports, tutoring, musical instruments, etc (those are not required). I am the poster who said that $800 is significant; but regardless of how one feels about the amount, it doesn't change the fact that child support orders are based on the incomes of the parents.

A calculator is used and it does not take into account those 'extras' mentioned earlier. Parents can negotiate the costs of those on their own.

The calculator (at least for Maryland) doesn't take into account housing, but it does take into account insurance.

Some extras can be negotiated between the parents, others like Childcare and Health Insurance are MANDATORY additions to the amount of child support awarded.

Anonymous wrote:My kids before and after school care alone is $600 a month. You want to harass parents over $800 a month? Sheesh

And if you were receiving child support, you would get a percentage of income, PLUS a percentage of childcare costs.

Most people on this site have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to how child support is calculated, or what its for (step-moms I'm looking at you!).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

Child support is to help cover the costs of basics...that doesn't necessarily include extras such as sports, tutoring, musical instruments, etc (those are not required). I am the poster who said that $800 is significant; but regardless of how one feels about the amount, it doesn't change the fact that child support orders are based on the incomes of the parents.

A calculator is used and it does not take into account those 'extras' mentioned earlier. Parents can negotiate the costs of those on their own.

The calculator (at least for Maryland) doesn't take into account housing, but it does take into account insurance.

My kids before and after school care alone is $600 a month. You want to harass parents over $800 a month? Sheesh

Anonymous wrote:My exDW pays me $329 per month, we have shared, split custody. She didn’t think she would have to pay b/c she’s a woman. Hah!

No, it just means she waaay outearns you. Probably by about $50k since I outearn my ex by under that and I don’t have to pay him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

$800 isn't no time pixie dust. It's likely the BASE child support amount, and on top of that $800 is child care obligations. Or, sometimes courts calculate child support and add to the base amount what the paying parent owes for childcare, in which case that cost has already been taken into considerations.

My exDW pays me $329 per month, we have shared, split custody. She didn’t think she would have to pay b/c she’s a woman. Hah!

My ex-BIL only works cash jobs, so there’s nothing to garnish. He believes 90% of what the state says he should pay each month actually goes to SIL, so he only gives her 10% of what’s due each months sometimes and others just random amounts. The state will threaten to suspend his license and he’ll make a bigger payment to appease them and go back to his shady ways.

I was with her once when she got a robo call telling her “this is the ____ state of child support services. Your next deposit will be in the amount of $9.” He likes to play the victim on social media, posting crazy articles about how the system wants to keep dad’s down and take all their rights. He can’t afford gifts for them because of the $$$ the state makes him give “his ex wife to shop for herself.” I told her she should put recordings of all of those pathetic deposits on social media to call his loser ass out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$800/month...what ballpark income would a guy have for that to be the child support. It doesn't sound like it would cover half of childcare/food/clothes/activities/other costs for even a little kid.

Child support is based on income of the parents and each parent's portion isn't necessarily HALF. It depends on the breakdown of income. If he makes 55% of their combined income, then he is responsible for 55% of the cost of care. Likewise if he is making only 20%.

$800 a month is significant, when we are considering that it is ONE parent's financial contribution.

$800 is nominal, not significant. Typical before and after care in the DC area is close to $600 per month. Add in camp at an average of $300/week, and that comes out to $875/month in ONLY child care costs.

Then add in sports, tutoring, braces, a musical instrument— easily another $500/month.

And we haven’t even started the cost of housing, insurance, clothing.... sorry but $800 is pixie dust.

That's great if you do all those things but my husband's ex never had child care, no camps, kids didn't do sports, didn't get braces as she wouldn't pay her half), have tutors, play an instrument or have any activities. Boyfriend was paying housing. Kids insurance was covered by Dad. So, food and limited clothing (kids barely had anything and stuff we bought disappeared).

My kid is in multiple activities. We own the house so no extra cost for him to live here so its food, clothing and activities. Easily under $800.