CHILD
SUPPORT IN WASHINGTON
The Child Support
Schedule was established by the
State legislature in 1988 to comply
with federal law requiring each state to
have a standardized statewide child
support schedule. The legislative
intent is to ensure that support orders
meet a child's basic needs and provide
support commensurate with the parents
income, resources, and standard of
living. the legislature also
intended that support obligations be
equitably apportioned between
parents. The schedule uses income
and assets information from both parents
to determine the support amount.
State law requires that all income and
resources from each parent's household be
disclosed, but only the income of the
parents whose child support is at issue
can be considered when calculating the
basic support obligation. In the
absence of current income information,
child support can be imputed, based on
parents' past earnings or on statistical
median net income. The court can also
impute income to a party who is
voluntarily unemployed or under-employed.
After the net
income for both parents is calculated, it
is added together to determine how much
total support is required for the
children. Once a combined support
figure is calculated, a proportionate
share of the support is awarded to each
parent based on the percentage their net
income represents of the combined
total. The nonresidential parent
meets their obligation by paying child
support.
The amount a
nonresidential parent pays for current
child support is limited by law.
The nonresidential parent's monthly child
support payment should not exceed 45
percent of his or her net income.
This law does not limit the amount of a
judgment that can be established for
delinquent child support. It also
may not include additional child related
expenses such as daycare and medical
insurance. State law also specifies
that a support obligation should not
reduce the paying parent's net income
below the need standard of $944 per
month.
Our firm consist of three
lawyers, Peter W. Mogren, Ronald E.
Glessner, and Ruth A. Roti. Our
emphasis is in family law, wills and
probate, and personal injury.
Please click on the topics above for
details about these areas of practice,
including divorce, legal separation,
property division, child support, spousal
maintenance, parenting plans,
modifications, paternity, adoption,
wills, Community Property Agreements,
Durable Power of Attorney, and probate.
Our firm is conveniently located
in Renton, King County, Washington, just
off the freeway at the intersection of
I-405 and I-167. Our attorneys
represent clients throughout the State of
Washington, including the communities of
Renton, Kent, Tukwila, Seattle, Bellevue,
Auburn, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Des
Moines, Burien, SeaTac, Enumclaw and most
of south King County.
The free
information contained in these pages
is not
intended to be legal advice, and does
not create an attorney-client
relationship. You should always
consult with an attorney before
taking any action. Feel free to call
us at 425-255-4542.
