In most child custody cases, the judge will order one parent to pay child support. This is typically not the parent who has primary custody.
Every family has its own circumstances and every parent has his or her obligations. To be able to tell myth from reality, however, can help alleviate some of the stress in a custody case.
Spousal support does not affect child support
According to Forbes, spousal support and child support can affect one another. Child support always takes priority over spousal support. If you must reduce your child support payments, then you will also see a reduction in your spousal support obligation. In most cases, the spouse that you pay spousal support to is the parent of the child.
Child support affects taxes
Child support payments occur outside of the tax system. A recipient does not pay taxes on the support that he or she collects and the payor cannot deduct payments on tax forms. While split custody, on the other hand, does have tax implications, child support does not. For instance, if you have split custody, only one parent can use the dependent exemption.
Child support does not allow modifications
If ordered to pay child support, your payments are based on income, the percentage of parenting time, health insurance, expenses and the number of children that you have. Courts may have different formulas to calculate child support, but this is not a fixed number. You can modify child support based on changing circumstances. If you lose your job, suffer a disability or on the other end receive an inheritance, your support obligation can change.