Your Local Tacoma Attorneys

How Much Is Child Support in Tacoma, Washington?

On Behalf of | Sep 26, 2019 | Family Law

Every child in the United States is entitled to receive support from both parents. Additionally, all parents are required by law to support their offspring. Court-mandated child support is usually monetary but might also include healthcare support, like medical insurance or help with hospital bills. If you need help with a child support case, contact a Tacoma Divorce Attorney today.

How much is Child Support in Washington State?

The Washington State Support Guideline stipulates the presumptive amount of child support that should be paid. A presumptive amount is simply the amount a judge must order in most situations. However, the involved parents may agree to a different amount. Or, in some circumstances, a judge might conclude more or less needs to be paid.

The Washington State’s Guideline essentially serves as a mathematical calculation. Legally, only particular types of information are used in calculating the Guideline amount, such as:

  • What’s the gross income of each parent?
  • How much court-ordered child support does either parent pay for another kid?
  • What’s the cost of the child’s medical insurance premiums and extraordinary healthcare expenses?
  • What is the price of reasonable childcare costs?
  • How many children are involved in the case?
  • How many other biological or adopted children are living in either parent’s home?
  • How much time does the child spend with each parent?

To determine the required guideline amount of support for your individual case, you can utilize the Child Support Guideline Calculator.

Who Should Pay for Child Support?

Sometimes, the child lives with one parent most of the time. Here, the other parent who doesn’t stay with the child, or visits, has a legal duty to pay child support.

On the other hand, the child might be living with every parent at least 35% of the time. In such a case, one parent may still have to pay child support. The parent with a higher income will need to pay child support to the other parent for shared custody.

In some cases, the child lives with somebody else like a grandparent, aunt, or uncle. For such cases, the parents have a legal duty to pay child support to the person caring for their offspring

When Can You File a Child Support Case?

You can file for child support anytime between the fourth month of pregnancy and before the child reaches 21 years.

Usually, the case should be filed at the location where the party who owes child support stays. Let’s say the child lives with his or her mother in Washington, but the dad resides in Florida. In such a situation, the motion will be filed in Florida. But, the case might begin in Washington and then proceed to Florida, so that the mother won’t need to travel.

At times, you may file in Washington against a parent who lives in another state if:

  • The child’s conception occurred in Washington
  • The non-custodial party used to reside in Washington with the kid
  • The non-custodial parent used to stay in Washington and while residing here, paid parental expenses
  •  The child stays in Washington state because of an act committed by the non-custodial party that causes them to reside here
  •  The non-custodial parent appears in court or files legal documents consenting to a child support case in Washington
  •  The non-custodial individual is served with court papers in Washington.

Alliance Law Group can help you to resolve child support matters in Tacoma, Washington, call us today.