Any agreement between the parties must be approved by the Court and must conform to the State guidelines unless the Court approves. There is no public assistance being provided nor applied for. Statewide Uniform Guideline for Determining Child Support Awards California, like many states, has a uniform formula for determining child support. The Court is legally bound to follow this formula unless it can specify reasons for varying from it. Litigants are expected to bring a printout of the software results to court when they litigate child support.
Many courts have the software available in the courtroom, however.
The formula results in child support amounts that are often felt to be impossibly high by those ordered to pay it. Yet surveys show that the amounts paid for child support are almost always inadequate in covering the costs of raising a child. If the amount calculated under the formula results in a positive number, the higher earner shall pay that amount to the lower earner. If the amount calculated under the formula results in a negative number, the lower earner shall pay the absolute value of that amount to the higher earner. Unless the court orders otherwise, the order for child support shall allocate the support amount so that the amount of support for the youngest child is the amount of support for one child, and the amount for the next youngest child is the difference between that amount and the amount for two children, with similar allocations for additional children.