Tri-Cities Child Support

Money is often a point of friction between parents, which is why child support is such a contentious issue during a divorce. But, child support payments play an important role in maintaining a child’s quality of life after their parents are no longer together.

If you are a parent who is involved in a child support dispute, contact the dedicated family law attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law right away. Our lawyers will aggressively pursue a child support agreement that is in your child’s best interests. Schedule a consultation with our experienced child support attorneys by calling 360-926-9112.

The law in Washington states that both parents are required to support their children. The court typically assumes that the custodial parent fulfills this obligation since they are the child’s primary caretaker. To ensure non-custodial parents also provide support, the court often orders them to make child support payments to the custodial parent.

The court uses the Washington State Child Support Schedule (WSCSS) to calculate child support payments. These guidelines take each parent’s net income into account when calculating the amount of child support that should be paid per month.

First, the court must determine each parent’s net income to calculate the parents’ combined monthly net income. Next, the court references the WSCSS to determine the appropriate amount of child support that should be ordered given the parents’ combined monthly net income. Then, the court must determine how much of this child support should be paid by the non-custodial parent.

To make this determination, the court looks at what percentage of the parents’ combined monthly net income is contributed by the non-custodial parent. For example, if the non-custodial parent earns 75% of the parents’ combined monthly net income, the non-custodial parent may be ordered to pay 75% of the child support obligation found on the WSCSS.

Family law judges have the authority to deviate from the state’s child support guidelines as they see fit. After using the guidelines to calculate child support, the judge may decide to increase or decrease the amount of support depending on certain factors, including:

• Each parent’s unique financial situation, including outstanding taxes and debts
• The child’s special needs
• How much time the child spends with each parent
• How many children each parent currently support
• The income earned by either parent’s new spouse or partner

If the judge chooses to deviate from the state guidelines, the child support dispute can become even more complex. Make sure you are represented by a child support attorney who is committed to putting your child’s needs first.