North Carolina Child Support

Divorce Papers > Divorce Child Support > North Carolina Child Support

In North Carolina, every child has the legal right to get financial and emotional support from their parents. When parents divorce, children live with one parent who is known as the custodial parent. The other parent, that is, the non-custodial parent has to bear a specific part of the expenses required in raising the children. This is known as child support in North Carolina divorce. Parents can mutually decide the support amount with the help of lawyers; otherwise they can request the court for support orders. In a child support hearing, the court uses a number of criteria to take the final decision regarding the support amount.

There may be different child maintenance issues faced by different divorced parents. It is not possible to discuss all those issues in this article; yet we are providing some common aspects of such cases so that parents can grasp a good understanding of the whole matter.

Factors considered for Child Support in North Carolina Divorce

A number of vital factors are considered while determining the support amount such as:

• Financial resources of each parent and the child
• The earning capacity of every parent
• The standard of living of the child
• Needs and requirements of the child
• Any other relevant factor

After observing these conditions and more, the court may order one parent to add the child to their dental and health insurance coverage and provide medical support in cash.

When will the child supports orders get terminated?

The support orders continue until the child reaches the age of emancipation, that is 18 years. It may continue if the child is still in high school and does not reach 20 years of age. If the child marries, moves away from his parent or joins the army, the support orders may come to an end before the said period.

Expenses of Child Care

Let us think of those parents who are in search for a job or employment have to pay reasonable child care expenses. The basic child maintenance obligation and these expenses are added. This sum is divided between the parents in the ratio of their respective incomes.

Let us consider the following table.

If the gross monthly income of any parent is less than the suggested value indicated in the above table, cent percent of the child care expenses are added.

If the gross monthly income of any parent is more than the suggested value, just 75 percent of the child care expenses are added. The reason being the parent is eligible for income tax credit for child care costs.

When the income level of the parent matches the suggested value, the parent who disburses child care expenses, is not benefited from tax credit for child care.

CSE and Child Support in North Carolina Divorce

In 1975, the Congress established a national program known as CSE (Child Support Enforcement). The governor of North Carolina has designated the North Carolina Department of Health and human services as the CSE agency. The general Statutes 110-128 of the state authorize the DHSS to supervise the program. This program offers services to the custodians of minor children irrespective of their level of income.

The functionality of a CSE agency is as follows:

• Observe state laws and federal regulations during management of child support cases
• Maintain the confidentiality of the information that is obtained. The information that is in the form of public records can be revealed.
• Collaborating with both parents and whenever appropriate, offering explanation or information of case activities
• Establishing a contract with lawyers to represent the case in civil court actions. In such a situation, the lawyer does not represent the individual client but the CSE as an agency.
• Evaluating the individual case and determining which support activities must be followed
• Collection of all required and relevant data from various persons and/or agencies
• Although public assistance is stopped in a particular case, the agency must not stop the essential service in all cases. The only exception is when the client makes a request to stop the services and if there is no amount owed to the state.

High Combined Income in North Carolina Child Support

In some cases, the combined adjusted gross income of the parents exceeds 25,000 USD per month. As a consequence, the child support schedule cannot be used to determine the child support obligation. Then, the court takes into account the reasonable requirements of the children and the relative capacity of either parent to disburse support.

As a parent you should remember that it is your primary duty to provide a good upbringing to your child. Whether you are married or divorced, your responsibility does not change. When you are ordered by the court to pay towards the raising of your child, you must adhere to the orders and make financial contribution accordingly. This is true for divorcing parents paying child support in North Carolina divorce also.

Divorce Papers