The end of a marriage is never easy. When you’ve spent so much time caring for one person and building that relationship, separating your finances and your lives can be difficult. This is even more true when you and your spouse have children. Child custody is a challenging issue in any case, even for those in a DIYvorce. But even when parents can agree on how to divide parenting time, some parents may be wondering why they have to pay child support.

It’s important to understand that the purpose of child support is to provide financial stability for the children. Raising a child is expensive, and after you and the other parent no longer share the financial responsibilities of daily expenses, such as utilities and groceries, many of those costs will fall on the parent who has the majority of the parenting time. Accordingly, child support is designed to help spread the burden of those daily costs.

In some cases, parents share parenting time equally. A parent paying child support in those cases might have even more questions about why that is the case. In your DIYvorce, the big idea is to have these issues settled without legal intervention. But it can be helpful to look at the law for guidance. As of August 1, 2018, Minnesota statute § 518A.36 provides that a parenting time adjustment is made for each child support calculation. The Minnesota child support calculation is based on what is called the “income shares” model. The theory behind this way of calculating child support is that the person who makes more income should bear a proportionately higher share of the child care expenses. For example, if the parents have exactly equal amounts of time with the children, but spouse A has more income than spouse B, then spouse A should bear a larger share of the support obligation for the child. In essence, child support is designed to provide financial stability for the child to help equalize the financial burden of caring for the child, between both parents.

As is always the case with child custody, the primary goal is to ensure the safety, happiness, and ability to thrive for the children. Parents in a DIYvorce are encouraged to keep that in mind. And if you need help or other advice, contact your DIYvorce support team.

 

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