The end of your marriage may not necessarily signify the end of your relationship with your ex-spouse. If the two of you have children in Lincoln, you will need to continue to work together to see to the kid’s well-being. A large part of that is supporting them financially. Child support can be a touchy subject, as the parties involved in such an agreement may constantly be at odds over how much is actually being paid. If you are in the position of having to fulfill a child support obligation, you do not have to worry about your ex trying to collect too much from you. It is the state that determines how much you will pay.
According to the website for Lancaster County, child support is assigned according to an income shares model. What that means it the amount of child support you pay is determined by the percentage of income you contribute between yourself and your ex-spouse. For example, if your individual income is 70 percent of the collective combined monthly income between to the two of you, that is the amount of the predetermined figure of monthly support set by the state that you are required to pay.
Your collective income is determined by taking your gross monthly income and then subtracting allowable deductions. These include:
- Taxes
- Retirement savings
- Any support obligations you may have for other children
The end result is your combined monthly net income. That amount is then compared to state’s monthly support tables according to how many children you have. If, say, you have a combined net income of $3,000 and have two kids, your monthly support amount would be $1,055. Applying your 70 percent contribution from the income shares model would leave you owing a monthly payment of $738.50.