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If you have children but are in the process of ending your relationship with their other parent, it is natural to worry about the pending child support order. Regardless if you’re the one paying it or receiving it, such an arrangement can affect your financial situation significantly. Below, a child support lawyer from Bray & Johnson in Canton explains how family law judges calculate these orders in the state of Georgia. 

Determining Factors

child support lawyerIn the state of Georgia, judges use the “income shares” model to calculate a reasonable child support obligation. Factors that affect the outcome of this approach include each party’s income and the number of kids they share. A child support lawyer will warn clients that the court can deviate from this model in certain circumstances, though, and a judge may consider other factors, like the family’s standard of living before the split and how much time the children now spend with each parent.  

Calculating Payments 

In the income shares model, the judge will combine the parents’ earnings to arrive at a total and then use that total to determine what percentage of the household income each party makes. If the mother brings home $6,000 per month, for example, and the father makes $4,000 per month, their total combined income is $10,000 per month, with the mother earning 60% of that and the father earning 40%.

The judge would then refer to the state’s economic table listing the estimated cost of raising the number of children the couple shares and order the non-custodial parent to pay his or her percentage of that obligation. This order is fairly permanent, but a parent can request to modify it with the help of a child support lawyer if his or her circumstances change considerably.  

If you are facing a contentious custody battle or want to modify your current order, turn to a child support lawyer at Bray & Johnson in Canton. In addition to navigating complicated family law proceedings, their legal team has considerable experience resolving cases that fall under criminal law and personal injury law. Visit their website to explore all the services they provide, or call (770) 479-1426 to schedule an initial consultation with an attorney today. 

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