Opinion ID: 2617028
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Father's Monthly Earnings From Employment

Text: In determining the father's monthly earnings, the district court used the father's current earnings of $520 per week instead of using the summarization of the father's earnings from the first of the year to find his average monthly earnings. The father worked in construction, and his monthly income, therefore, fluctuated. We agree that, given the nature of the father's employment, his earnings must be determined by averaging his income over several months. See Triggs v. Triggs, 920 P.2d 653, 659 (Wyo. 1996). We do not agree, however, that the amounts from the early part of the year, when the father was not permanently employed, can be included. If these amounts were included, the figure would be artificially low. The father's monthly net earnings should, therefore, be calculated by averaging his monthly paychecks from the time in March of 1997 when he became regularly employed.