Opinion ID: 2334045
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 23

Heading: examples of how the system works

Text: (A) Father and Mother are divorced. Father lives alone; Mother and the parties' two children live together. Father nets $1,200/month; Mother nets $800/month. Both Mother and Father are income-producing obligors; therefore, each parent's minimum self-support need is $450/month. After deducting their own minimum need, Father has $750/month available net income for primary support; Mother has $350/month available for the same purpose. The primary support need of the two children is $315/month ($180 plus $135). Mother's child care expense encumbered to enable her to work is $100/month. Thus, total primary support need equals $415/month. Father would be responsible for 68% ($750 ÷ $1,100) of the primary support need of $415, or $282.20/month, and Mother would be responsible for 32% ($350 ÷ $1,100) of that need, or $132.80/month. After deducting the primary child support obligation from the available net income, Father has $467.80/month, and Mother has $217.20/month available net income for SOLA support. Of this sum, Father should pay 25%, or $116.95/month; Mother should pay $54.30/month. As Mother is the custodial parent, she retains all her support obligation for the benefit of the two children; and Father pays Mother $399.15/month for child support ($282.20 plus $116.95 SOLA = $399.15/month. (B) Father and Mother share both joint custody and physical custody of their one child on a 50/50 basis. Father earns $1,500/month; Mother earns $800/month. Neither is remarried; thus, the child is the second person in each household. Each parent's primary support need is $450/month, and the child's primary support need, regardless of which household wherein the child resides, is $180/month. After deducting their own primary support needs, Father has $1,050/month, and Mother has $350/month available for the support of the child. Thus, Father would be responsible for 75% ($1,050 ÷ $1,400) of the primary support need of $180, or $135/month, and Mother would be responsible for 25% ($350 ÷ $1,400) of that need, or $45.00. The SOLA support obligation of the parents is 15% of the funds remaining after they meet their own and the child's primary support needs. Thus, the Father owes $137.25 ($1,050 - $135 = $915 × 15%), and Mother owes $45.75 ($350 - $45 = $305.00 × 15%). According to the above figures, Father's total monthly obligation is $272.25 and Mother's total monthly obligation is $90.75. Because they share custody 50/50 over the course of a year, Father would retain the support he owes for the child during the six months he has custody and pay to Mother support during the other six months. Mother would likewise pay support to Father during the six months he has custody and retain her support obligation during the six months in which she has custody. Thus, over a year, Father would pay to Mother $272.25 times six months, or $1,633.50; and Mother would pay to Father $90.75 times six months, or $544.50. Accordingly, Father owes $1,089 per year more than Mother owes to Father; thus, Father should pay $90.75/month to Mother to meet this obligation ($1,089 divided by 12 months).