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Take
this step-by-step approach to completing
the child support worksheets to make sure
you get the right answers!
- Review
the information on the forms page to
see which form(s) are applicable to
the parenting situation in your case.
Then select which form to use: Basic
Child Support, Split Custody Child
Support or Shared
Custody Child Support.
- Gather the information listed in the
next column under "Gathering
the Numbers." With these numbers you
should be ready to fill in the forms.
- Open the appropriate form either from
the free online forms or the calculating
SupportSolver forms.
| SupportSolver™ Calculators |
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- If using the manual forms, go to the Child
Support Guidelines support
schedule,
find the combined parents income in the
left column and then find the child support
obligation in the column representing the
number of children in the family. If the
combined income falls between two figures
in the chart, you will need to extrapolate.
If using SupportSolver calculating forms,
the forms complete these steps for you.
- For technical support or additonal help
using the forms, go to the help page.
| Help
Page |
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You will need to gather all
the numbers before completing the child support
forms or using the SupportSolver calculators.
- Find the court number for the case on
your Circuit Court or JDR Court paperwork.
- Calculate the gross monthly income for
both parties. Divide an annual salary
by 12. Multiply weekly wages by 4.33, semi-monthly
wages by 2 and bi-weekly by 2.167. Include
average or typical overtime and round amounts
below .50 down and amounts of .50 or above
up. For self-employed and other special
circumstances, read the instructions for
each form.
- Know the amount of spousal support that
each parent pays or receives even
if it is related to another spouse.
- Know the amount of any child support
paid for other children not part of the
current family. For children of other relationships
living with the parent, follow the form's
directions for calculating the support
obligation for that child and deduct that
amount.
- Know the amount of self-employment type
income and related employment taxes.
- Know the amount that health care insurance
costs for the child(ren). This is usually
the difference between the paying parents
single-coverage cost and family-coverage
cost.
- Know the amount of employment related
child care that each parent pays. See the
form's instructions for further details.
- Optional: Calculate the amount of the
actual tax benefit received by the parent(s)
who pay for employment related child care.
You will need to consult tax returns for
this and, possibly, seek help from an accountant
or tax preparer.
- Figure out the total number of "days" the
child(ren) spend with each parent. A day
is a 24 hour period. A half-day can be
counted, by the non-primary care parent,
for each overnight. A half-day cannot be
counted for a period of less than 24 hours
that does not include an overnight. Also
parts of days cannot be added up and divided
by 24 to come up with additional days
- Read the instructions for each line carefully
and review the statutes for any other deductions
or adjustments that might be applicable.
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The
amount of child support as
calculated from the guidelines is the presumptively correct
amount under the law unless rebutted by
evidence showing that the guideline amount
would be unjust.
These
links take you directly to the current
full text of the Virginia Child Support
statutes on the Virginia Code web site.
Section 20-108.1, Determination of Child
Support, establishes the child support
guidelines framework and sets out
the factors necessary to deviate from the
guidelines. Section
20-108.2 gives the specific Child Support
Guidelines.
| 20-108.1,
Determination |
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| 20-108.2,
Guidelines |
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| Search Virginia Code |
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The Virginia General Assembly
made no changes to the Child Support Guidelines
during 2005.
The following 2004 changes went into effect
on July 1, 2004. The changes are color coded
to make it easier to rapidly determine the
effect of the changes
| Full
Text of Changes |
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There were three major changes:
1. Gross income, for purposes
of child support calculation, was redefined
to exclude income from a second job obtained
in order to pay a child support arrearage.
| Gross
Income Change |
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2. Extraordinary medical expenses were
removed from the child support calculation
on all the forms. Instead, a court can order
that any unreimbursed medical expenses which
exceed $250 per child in any one year can
be divided between the parents according
to their income shares and be paid as they
are incurred.
| Extraordinary
Medical |
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3. Actual tax benefits that
flow to a party that pays for qualifying
child care can now be factored into (i.e.
deducted from) the basic support obligation.
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Benefit change |
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