Review of Support Guidelines

• Both federal and Pennsylvania law require Pennsylvania officials to review the support guidelines every four years. Officials must examine economic data about the cost of raising children in Pennsylvania and compare it to the amount of support being ordered. In the majority of cases, support should reflect the economic data. If there are too many deviations, officials must examine whether judges are ordering too much support or current guidelines do not take changing economic data into account. In some cases, the support guidelines must be changed.
  
  

How Support Is Calculated

• The support guidelines attempt to provide the child with the same level of support he would receive if his parents were still living together. The court examines both parents' net incomes and orders the non-custodial parent to pay a support amount based on child support schedules and the percentage of total income that parent brought to the household when married. For example, suppose the child support schedule said a child should get $1,850 of support per month. If the non-custodial parent's income is 65 percent of the total, he must pay 65 percent of $1,850 in child support each month, or $1,202.50.
  
  

How Child Support is Paid

• Divorce Law Info says that in Pennsylvania, the non-custodial parent pays child support directly to the custodial parent. The child support order lists the exact amount of support to be paid and what day it is due each month. The non-custodial parent must abide by this order. If her financial circumstances change and she can no longer afford support payments, she may petition the court for a modification of the child support order. She must continue to pay the original amount until the court approves a modification to the plan.
  
  

Termination of Payments

• Most child support orders state that the parent no longer has to pay child support once the child turns 18 or graduates high school. Sometimes, however, a parent believes his obligation has ended and the other parent disagrees -- i.e. if the child goes to college or moves out of the parent's house prematurely. When a disagreement occurs, you must petition the court to allow you to discontinue child support. In addition, if there are other minor children who are still entitled to support after one child's support has terminated, you must modify the child support order by going to court.
  
  

Parenting Time and Support

• The amount of time the non-custodial parent has the child affects how much support he must pay. Child support guidelines presume that the parent spends 30 percent of parenting time with the child. If the non-custodial parent spends significantly more time with the child, he has to pay less support. If the parents spend equal time with the child, the non-custodial parent can still be required to pay support, but the custodial parent cannot get a larger portion of the total income than he does. For example, if the total income is $6,000 per month, the custodial parent cannot get more than $3,000 per month in child support.