The more you and your spouse cooperate regarding the financial support and needs of your children, the better your children will do over time. While child support guidelines and laws do vary by jurisdictions, here are the basic elements that you need to consider in how to calculate the level of child support for your kids.

By M. Marcy Jones

Most states have child support guidelines based on a standard calculation. The numbers that go into the calculation include:

  • Gross income of each parent
  • Work-related child care costs
  • Health insurance costs for the children
  • Any extraordinary medical or dental expenses (like braces)
  • Number of days the children are with each parent

Parents can use the child support guidelines available in their jurisdiction to determine the amount of child support in their situation, or they can agree between themselves on this issue. The beauty of any of the process choices except litigation is that you, the parents, get to decide all these things based on what works best for you and your children. Whatever you agree regarding child support is put into your agreement. The more you and your spouse cooperate regarding the financial support and needs of your children, the better your children will do over time. Children suffer when their parents argue about money or when one parent does not fulfill his or her legal obligation to contribute to financial support for the children.

Clients often want to know who pays if their children go to college. Both parents have a legal obligation to support their children financially until they turn eighteen. After that, the courts have no authority to order either parent to provide financial support for the children, except in cases where a child has ongoing special needs. Most parents do feel a moral obligation to continue to help pay for their children’s financial support, however. Also, parents can choose to include in their agreement how they will pay for college. If they include this in their property settlement agreement, then it is legally binding and enforceable on both of them when the time for college arrives.


M. MARCY JONES is an author, speaker, lawyer, and advocate for change. She has practiced family law since 1995. She went to Washington & Lee University School of Law after her own divorce and with two young children at home, and has worked as a domestic violence prosecutor and then in private practice. Marcy is a settlement expert and conflict resolution advocate, specializing in collaborative practice. She is also a trained mediator and certified personal coach. She lives in Lynchburg, Virginia. For more information, visit her website at www.MMarcyJones.com and www.GracefulDivorceSolutions.com.