child support

In North Carolina, child support is calculated pursuant to a formula, the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines.  These Guidelines create a rebuttable presumption of the reasonable monthly amount of child support payments.  This financial obligation is determined, among other considerations, by the gross monthly incomes of both parents.  North Carolina considers the reasonable needs of the child for health, education, and maintenance along with the child’s accustomed standard of living, health insurance premiums, along with other factors when determining the amount to be paid each month.  Essentially, the numbers are calculated to represent what the child would have received if the parents lived together.

The North Carolina Child Support Guidelines determine child support obligations based on three potential custody arrangements: sole, joint, and split custody.

• Sole Custody calculations occur under Worksheet A, which applies when the non-custodial parent has the child for fewer than 123 overnights during the year. 
  
• Joint Custody calculations occur under Worksheet B, which applies when the secondary parent has the child overnight for at least 123 nights of the year. Typically this is a lower child support amount than if their was a sole custody agreement. 
  
• Split Custody calculations occur under Worksheet C, which applies to families with more than one child, where at least one child lives with one parent full-time and the other child or children live with the other parent. 
  

Regardless of your current financial or custodial arrangement, the attorneys at Parton Buckingham, PLLC will work with you to determine a reasonable amount of child support either you are entitled to receive or are obligated to pay.

For More Information on Child Custody

To schedule a consultation to discuss your child support matter with one of the family law attorneys at Parton Buckingham, PLLC, please call us at 704-376-4488.