Here is a link to the latest child support calculation and a quick estimator for Washington.
You'll probably notice quickly that these numbers are really, really low. You will not be able to live on child support.
This is because the support calculation does NOT include the four categories of expenses that the parents are expected to split: daycare (any care for children regardless of age, including summer camps), education, uninsured healthcare (braces, mental health resources, etc), and extra curricular. These expenses add up to a lot more than the child support estimate, and these costs are usually close to the 45% of net income number for each parent that commissioners and judges would use in court to estimate what they think a parent could afford.
A lot of people are surprised because they think of support as only one monthly amount that one parent pays to the other. Under the new rules, however, parents can work together to organize their spending so that these payments are manageable and make more sense for everyone in the family. Call 206-747-3029 today to start working out the next steps to pay for your children together.
We can also help if you need temporary child support, just for now, while you're working out a full divorce, or while you're separated and trying to decide if you really want to divorce. Schedule a consult here and work out our intake to get started. We can help you sort out income that varies from month to month or year to year, income that's paid partly through stocks such as RSUs, or other employment benefits, and what to do if you aren't sure you will have a job next year.
