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North Carolina Child Support Law

By Sherrie C. Smith February 19, 2019

Family Law

How Child Support is Determined

How is child support determined in North Carolina? As long as the combined income of the parents is no more than $360,000 per year, child support is determined by using a set of guidelines called the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, which are modified from time to time.

Custody Matters

Why does my custody schedule matter? First, before a court determines how much child support to award, the parties must inform the court of the current custody schedule. There are three different worksheets used by the Guidelines depending on the type of custody shared between the parties: Worksheet A is used where one parent has primary custody, Worksheet B is used for joint or shared custody, and Worksheet C is used when there is a split custody schedule.

How do you use the Guidelines?

Next, the monthly child support obligation is determined by factoring in the parties’ income, child care costs, health insurance costs, extraordinary expenses, as well as a few other factors. If the parents have other children from different relationships, or if they are paying child support for another child, this can affect the child support amount.

When are the Guidelines not used?

As mentioned above, if the parents’ combined income is more than $360,000 per year, then the court must deviate from the Guidelines. In evaluating all of the evidence, the court must determine the reasonable needs of the child and the relative ability of each parent to provide support. These types of proceedings are much more involved and time consuming than a typical Guidelines case.

At Helms Robison Lee & Bennett, P.A. we have attorneys who can help you navigate the child support laws and help you present your case in court. If you are interested in scheduling a consultation, please contact our office at 704.289.4577.