Both parties are responsible for supporting their children. Child support, however, is a mechanism by which the court determines a fair value-sharing plan. So, while both parties will be responsible, only one party might receive a contribution from the other.
Child support is determined by a formula that considers parents’ wages and expenses as well as other relevant factors such as other children that aren’t included in the arrangement at hand. Other child support obligations that may be ongoing will also be considered. So will health insurance costs, extracurriculars that are paid for, or any extraordinary expenses.
The formula for child support will return a number based on North Carolina statutes, which outline how much support is minimally required for a child each month. For an example of a possible scenario, if one parent makes 60% of the income and the other is making 40% of wages, the court would then ratio that number according to the North Carolina statutes. Typically, the person who has a smaller ratio would receive an additional payment from the other party per month. This is meant to ensure that the child will have equal access to the same level of financial support, no matter which parent they are with.