Pittsburgh Child Support Lawyers

Experienced Child Support Attorneys in Pittsburgh

Parents with minor children may be entitled to receive child support, as well as help with paying childcare expenses, medical bills and insurance costs, private school tuition and fees for summer camp and activities.

A number of factors must be considered in determining the proper amount of child support, and the Pittsburgh child support lawyers at Pollock Begg are experienced in getting clients the support they are due, whether it’s during contested hearings or through settlement negotiations.

Who Pays Child Support in Pennsylvania?

Both parents are expected to contribute to the support of their minor children to the best of their earning capacities and financial resources. Child support is a priority obligation, and a parent must meet this obligation by adjusting his or her other expenses. A parent’s duty to support his or her child continues until the child reaches 18 years of age or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. A parent may be required to support an adult child who is incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability. A parent is not required to contribute to a child’s college education expenses unless he or she has contractually obligated himself or herself to do so.

How Does Pennsylvania Calculate Child Support?

A parent’s net income serves as the basis for all guidelines and formulas set forth by the state to determine child support. Net income is equal to gross monthly income from all sources, minus federal, state and local income taxes, FICA taxes, union dues, mandatory retirement contributions and sometimes alimony paid to the other parent. Voluntary payroll deductions, such as charitable contributions, credit union deductions, savings bonds and voluntary retirement contributions are not deducted from gross income.

Basic child support is generally determined by a guideline published by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The guidelines are based upon statistical surveys which determine the percentage of household income intact families spend on food, clothing, shelter and transportation for their children. The support guidelines contain a table to calculate the proper amount of child support based upon the parents’ net monthly incomes or earning capacities. If the parents’ combined net monthly income exceeds the limits of the support guidelines (presently $30,000 per month), the amount of child support is determined by a separate formula.

How Do Custody and Expenses Affect Child Support?

The child support award may be reduced when the paying parent exercises custody for more than 40% of the time. The percentage of time is determined by the number of overnights that each parent has custody. In addition to the basic child support award, the paying parent must contribute to the child’s health insurance premiums, unreimbursed medical, dental and optical expenses and childcare expenses. Additionally, the paying parent may be responsible for a share of private school tuition, summer camp expenses, tutoring, sports or arts lessons or other special needs, if such expenses are reasonable in light of the parents’ incomes and station in life. These obligations are added to the basic amount of child support.

Are Pennsylvania Support Guidelines Binding?

The amount of child support determined under the support guidelines may be increased or reduced if one of the parents can demonstrate unusual needs, fixed obligations or other reasons that justify deviation from the support guidelines. The child support rules provide nine factors a court may consider in its decision to increase or decrease the basic child support award.

Can Pennsylvania’s Support Calculator Help Me?

The official Pennsylvania Automated Child Support Enforcement System website contains a child support calculator program anyone may use, free of charge, to estimate the amount of child support they may have to pay or receive.

Operating the child support estimator requires a parent to determine the net income of each parent after deducting taxes, union dues and mandatory retirement contributions. Net income under the Pennsylvania support law is not the same as take-home pay or taxable income and the PACSES child support calculator does not consider several factors that will impact the amount of child support due, including itemized deductions reducing federal tax liability, earning capacity for underemployed parents, or income generated by self-employment, rental income, interest and dividends, capital gains, corporate distributions or other types of income not subject to FICA taxes.

The PACSES child support calculator is only an estimator. Experienced legal counsel may be needed to determine the correct amount of child support, especially in cases involving complex aspects like bonuses, commissions, deferred compensation, unreported cash income, pass-through business income and distributions.

Pollock Begg’s team of experienced child support lawyers have negotiated and litigated cases under the child support guidelines for decades. Our experience helps to ensure the guidelines are applied correctly to determine the proper amount of support to which a child is legally entitled. For the most accurate calculation, contact a Pittsburgh child support lawyer at Pollock Begg at 412.471.9000.