Child Support On Combined Income Over $141,000

If you earn or have combined parental income over $141,000 (the statutory "cap") almost universally the courts will impose an obligation to pay child support on income over that amount. While there are many, many variations of the cutoff amount that the courts will use and many, many reasons why the amount may differ from case to case there seems to be a trend of using income up to approximately $250,000.

The variations arise for numerous reasons including the location of the case and the cost of living associated with the area where the children will reside as well as the custodial arrangement. The assets of each parent, the income of each parent, the responsibility of each parent for other items such as private school, clothing, extra-curricular activities, special needs, age of the children and the parents, the disparity between the income of the parents and the lifestyle of the family. In other words, each person as well as the court can find reasons to justify using income over the "cap" as well as reasons to limit the amount of income used over the "cap". The cases and decisions are often very fact sensitive and it would be best if you are in this situation to consult with your attorney so that the numerous factors can be weighed.

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