"Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship."
Calculating child support payments and enforcement of child support orders.
History of Child Support: Understanding the past of child support laws in the U.S is important in fully comprehending its current operation and its overall purpose.
Legal Basis of Child Support: This is necessary in understanding the particular laws that govern Child Support, their purpose and the legal obligations imposed on parents and guardians.
Child Support Guidelines: Various legal guidelines (state and federal) are used to establish the child support amount, calculate support payments, and enforce child support orders.
Factors Used in Determining Child Support: Factors such as income, the number of children involved, health care and childcare costs, and other various factors are used in determining the child support amount that a parent is obligated to pay.
Modification of Child Support Orders: This is where either parent requests a review of the child support orders. A modification may occur if one of the parents loses their job, and consequently, the child's financial needs change.
Child Support Enforcement: This topic involves the legal methods that states use to enforce child support orders. It encompasses court enforcement proceedings which include wage garnishment, levies, licenses suspension, and tax intercepts.
Child Support Settlements: In the event of parties reaching a mutual agreement, a child support agreement is agreed upon, this agreement covers issues such as payments, methods of payments, deductions, and reviews.
Interplay Between Child Support and Custody: The relationship between child support and custody arrangements, which one takes precedence over the other, and what factors affect child support in cases of joint custody, will be briefly discussed.
Financial Obligations of Non-Biological Parents: Often referred to as step-parent child support, this financial obligation of the new spouse comes into play, regardless of whether or not the new spouse is biologically related to the child.
Non-Payment of Child Support: Consequences of non-payment of child support by the obligated party, the statutory laws that give the state authority to recover the arrears, and available remedies for the party owed child support.
Basic Child Support: This is the main type of child support paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent for the maintenance and welfare of the child.
Medical Support: This includes the cost of health insurance for the child and unreimbursed medical expenses not covered by the insurance plan.
Educational Support: This includes the cost of education for the child, including tuition, books, and school supplies.
Childcare Support: This is paid when the custodial parent is working, looking for work, or attending school and needs someone to take care of the child.
Supplemental Support: This is additional support paid for activities such as sports, music, or other extracurricular activities.
Unallocated Support: This is a combination of child support and spousal support that is paid as a single payment to the custodial parent.
Retroactive Support: This is support paid for a period of time before a child support order was put in place.
Post-Emancipation Support: This is support paid after the child reaches the age of majority or is otherwise emancipated.
Temporary Support: This is support paid during a divorce or separation proceeding until a final support order is issued.
"The obligor is typically a non-custodial parent. The obligee is typically a custodial parent, a caregiver, or a guardian."
"Depending on the jurisdiction, a custodial parent may pay child support to a non-custodial parent. Typically one has the same duty to pay child support irrespective of sex, so a mother is required to pay support to a father just as a father must pay a mother."
"In some jurisdictions where there is joint custody, the child is considered to have two custodial parents and no non-custodial parents, and a custodial parent with a higher income (obligor) may be required to pay the other custodial parent (obligee)."
"In other jurisdictions, and even with legally shared residence, unless they can prove exactly equal contributions, one parent will be deemed the non-resident parent for child support and will have to pay the other parent a proportion of their income; the 'resident' parent's income or needs are not assessed."
"Child support is often arranged as part of a divorce, marital separation, annulment, determination of parentage, or dissolution of a civil union and may supplement alimony (spousal support) arrangements."
"The right to child support and the responsibilities of parents to provide such support have been internationally recognized."
"The upbringing and development of children and a standard of living adequate for the children's development is a common responsibility of both parents and a fundamental human right for children, and asserts that the primary responsibility to provide such for the children rests with their parents."
"Other United Nations documents and decisions related to child-support enforcement include the 1956 New York Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance created under the auspices of the United Nations, which has been ratified by the 64 of the UN member states. In addition, the right to child support, as well as specific implementation and enforcement measures, has been recognized by various other international entities, including the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Hague Conference."
"Within individual countries, examples of legislation pertaining to, and establishing guidelines for, the implementation and collection of child maintenance include the 1975 Family Law Act (Australia), the Child Support Act (United Kingdom), and the Maintenance and Affiliation Act (Fiji)."
"Child support in the United States, 45 C.F.R. 302.56 requires each state to establish and publish a Guideline that is presumed correct (but rebuttable), and Review the Guideline, at a minimum, every four years."
"Child-support laws and obligations are known to be recognized in a vast majority of world nations, including the majority of countries in Europe, North America, and Australia, as well as many in Africa, Asia, and South America." These quotes provide direct answers to the study questions from the paragraph.