Virginia law mandates the involvement for both parents to financially support their children regardless of whether parents were previously married or not. The custodial parent has the right to appeal in the court regarding child support. There is a set of child support guidelines in Virginia based on which child custody order is issued.
How is child support in Virginia determined?
Child support is determined based on a number of criteria including parental time with children, income, and number of children involved etc. A thorough understanding of the guidelines is needed to calculate the child support award. The best course of action is getting the help of child support lawyer since they are aware of the nuances involved.
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Basic child support guidelines:
Number of children: The amount is calculated based on the number of minor children who needs financial support.
Custody and visitation arrangements: There are 3 types of custody which influences the child support award. The amount varies depending on the custody type. A parent who spends more time with the kid has more need for child support and the amount is calculated accordingly.
The types of custody are:
- Sole custody: The child spends less than 90 days a year with a particular parent. This parent gets to make more decisions regarding the kid.
- Shared custody: The child spends more than 90 days with a parent.
- Split custody: Each of the parents has physical custody of child/children.
Income: Gross income of both parents is added to calculate the family income. Salary, bonuses, social security benefits, Factors such as alimony, support for children from another marriage and other factors are considered when calculating gross income.
Medical expenses of the child: The difference between self-only coverage and family coverage is taken into account.
Though child support amount is generally calculated based on the above factors, there are situations when the court orders a deviation. The court may take into account additional costs like transportation cost, private tuition, gas, and school supplies etc. Parents may also come forward with a deviation if the child is participating in extracurricular activities.
Sometimes there may be changes in a financial situation for one parent making it difficult to pay child support. Contacting a child support law firm is the best way to work through such complicated issues.
