When it comes to child support, joint custody can actually make things more complicated. Contrary to popular belief, just because parents share custody does not mean that neither will be required to make support payments. If one parent is actually housing and caring for the child a greater percentage of the time, the courts may decide to have the other parent pay monthly support. The order will be designed to equalize the expenses paid by each parent. The courts take into account each parent's actual ability to pay in such cases and the parent with the higher income may be required to take on more financial responsibility as a result. Problems may arise if a parent seeks joint custody simply to avoid paying a higher level of child support without having any intention of actually sharing parenting responsibilities. The other parent may be left raising the child alone when this parent continually fails to pick up the child as scheduled. In such cases, an experienced child custody lawyer may be able to advise a course of action that will modify the custody order, the support award, or both.