How Child Support Payments Are Calculated In Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, parents have a duty to financially support their children until their children reach the age of 18 and graduate from high school. The parent who owes child support payments is called the "obligor," and the parent who receives support for the child is called the "obligee." The Pennsylvania Domestic Relations Code adopted guidelines to calculate child support obligations. The Pennsylvania Domestic Relations Code calculates child support obligations by taking into consideration each parents' respective incomes, the current child custody arrangement, the number of children who need financial assistance, and other necessary costs. 

Child support payments are income driven. Your local Domestic Relations Office will consider both parents' incomes to determine a fair amount of support.  They also take into consideration mandatory deductions such as non-voluntary retirement contributions or union dues.  The Domestic Relations Office will often initially consider each parent's W-2's and income tax documents to assess their income. But, in cases where one parent is unemployed or is underemployed, Domestic Relations and Pennsylvania Courts have discretion to assess an imputed income upon them. When assessing what imputed income would be appropriate, the trier of fact considers the parent's earning capacity. For example, a parent who works as a cashier but has the education and licensing to work as a neurosurgeon will likely be assessed an income relative to what a neurosurgeon in your local area earns. 

Next, the Domestic Relations Office will consider how many children are entitled to financial assistance. As a starting point, all children who are biologically related to the parents will be entitled to receive financial assistance until that child reaches the age of 18 and graduates from high school. 

Pennsylvania Domestic Relations will also consider the current custody arrangement to assess whether or not a deviation should apply to the support calculation.  The basic formula is based on one parent having primary custody and the other having custody about 30% of the time.  A deviation in child support refers to a situation where the Domestic Relations Section or the Court orders a child support amount that differs from the standard amount calculated, such as 50/50 custody or one parent having sole physical custody. This means that the child support obligation can be adjusted upwards or downwards based upon the circumstances of the case, specifically the current custody arrangement. 

Finally, Domestic Relations will consider other expenses such as health insurance, childcare, and other necessary costs that include school tuition and expenses related to extracurricular activities.

Child support obligations, like child custody, are subject to modification. If a substantial change in circumstances arises one parent may be able to have a child support obligation increased or decreased.

If you need help initiating a child support action or believe that a substantial change in circumstances has risen that would subject you to increasing or decreasing the current support obligation, don't hesitate to contact one of our experienced attorneys.