What factors determine child support in Washington?

The process of determining how much child support will be paid by the non-custodial parent to the parent who has custody of the child is always difficult.  No side ever feels that he or she is receiving enough money or paying a fair amount, so most states have come up with basic child support calculations that distill the payment of child support down to a mathematical equation free of emotion or guilt.  In the state of Washington, there are a number of factors that determine how much child support will be paid by the non-custodial parent to the parent who has custody of the child full time.

Determining child custody in Washington, is this first step, since whomever has custody will be the recipient of the support. The next step is to consider a number of relevant factors including:

• the number of children under the age of twelve who are part of the child support calculation, 
• the net income of the non custodial parent and the amount that they contribute towards health care for the dependent child; 
• the amount of alimony paid by either party to either the other party, or a party from a previous marriage; and 
• the net amount of monthly income of the custodial parent, along with his or her monthly contribution to the child’s health care costs.  
• Another important factor is the monthly cost of day care that must be paid by the custodial parent so that they can work.

A lawyer can guide you through applying this formula in your situation and can help you to ensure you are treated fairly during the child support negotiation process.