How is the child support amount in a joint custody custody agreement determined after filing for divorce?

Many states, including California, provide guides and websites that can help calculate the expected child support payments that a court may order. These guides are merely estimates and suggestions, as they cannot 100% predict your payments. The online payment calculators will take into account the number of child you have, the percentage of custodial time, your wages, taxes paid, expenses and all other relevant financial information.

While the court will often award these amounts, the guides are merely estimates which the court can decrease or increase based on a variety of circumstances. Some states, such as New York and Florida, have statutory schemes in place that provide exact child support payment amounts, aside from special circumstances that the court can take into consideration. You should speak with an experienced divorce attorney to determine your rights and responsibilities in child support payments, and ensure that you are paying the correct amount.