Child support
Notes on calculating child support
Georgia guidelines
Rough calculations based on the Georgia child support guidelines in 19-6-15 (also here), section (b) "Process of calculating child support":
1. Determine the monthly Gross Income of both the Custodial Parent and the Noncustodial Parent.
- Woozle: none at present
- Livia: unknown; maybe $20k?
2. not applicable
3. Add each Parent́s Adjusted Income together to compute the Combined Adjusted Income
- Not more than $50k, even if W were employed at an expected salary based on one potential job offer which almost came through; will use $20k and $50k as low and high annual figures for my income, as well as the current figure of $0, for total combined incomes of $20k, $40k, and $70k (monthly: =~ $1600, $3300, and $5800)
4. Locate the Basic Child Support Obligation by referring to the Child Support Obligation Table. Using the figure closest to the amount of the Combined Adjusted Income, locate the amount of the Basic Child Support Obligation in the column underneath the number of children for whom support is being determined. If the Combined Adjusted Income falls between the amounts shown in the table, then the Basic Child Support Obligation shall be based on the income bracket most closely matched to the Combined Adjusted Income;
- zero (20k): $360 — low (40k): $671; high (70k): $971
5. Calculate the pro rata share of the Basic Child Support Obligation for the Custodial Parent and the Noncustodial Parent by dividing the Combined Adjusted Income into each Parent́s Adjusted Income to arrive at each Parent́s pro rata percentage of the Basic Child Support Obligation;
- zero (W: 0%): W = $0 | L = $360
- low (W: 50%): W = $335 | L = $335
- high (W: 70%): W = $680 | L = $291
I'm not going to use the rest of the calculations because (a) this is mainly for getting a ball-park figure, and (b) I don't have many of the numbers it requires.
Additional Adjustments
- My income from mid-2001 to present was erratic and near zero; child support for those years should be re-calculated based on actual income figures (mine and L's).
- We need to resolve this business about the rent from "my" rental house. The agreement is clear that I do not own it, but this is inconsistent with two points:
- If I don't own the house, then there should be a lump sum credited to me for giving it up, as I invested heavily in it and was promised equal ownership (with L) of the two houses (to which ownership of either house would be roughly equivalent), and the house's rent should not be credited towards child support.
- If rent from that house is being credited towards child support, then I need statements showing when and how much; it should also be explained why this rent is being credited to me, if I do not own the house. (Possibly the rent is equivalent to a monthly payment towards a loan in the amount of a lump sum we might have agreed upon... if this is the case, though, I would like it stated that way, and a dollar amount specified for the lump sum, rather than being potentially liable for months when rent is not received. If I am to be liable for missed rent, then the randomness which this would introduce into my budget needs to be compensated for somehow.)
- Some percentage of JERS's contributions should be credited towards child support, as he has told me that he intended for those contributions to take a burden off my shoulders as well as helping Anna and Livia.