Child support question...

mrs.sewell

Can bonuses and overtime be counted when considering how much someone should pay for child support?
My husband has been getting lots of overtime lately and the Hideous B!tch Monster has been sniffing around. We would be kinda screwed if she got her hands on his overtime. She already gets almost half his check... Overtime keeps food on the table some weeks...

reinedecajun

From what I understand it's based off earned income so if it's considered income its fair game.

mrs.sewell

Poo... I think you're right. Time to google a little deeper...
They would have to consider her bonuses and stuff too if that's the case.
Gah! So frustrating.

mrs.sewell

I'm hoping that they consider that she's now remarried, the kids don't go to an actual daycare, and that my husband has another child to support... Fingers crossed!

mrs.sewell

We aren't trying to dodge the responsibility, you know? Just trying to make ends meet AND take care of his other two... It does suck... A lot.

sarahandeddiejune212008

If it's money that would be claimed on taxes it's fair game. Where we live the first child gets 25% of the non-custodial parents income. I think it goes to 30% if there are two kids.

mrs.sewell

I have heard it's supposed to be 30%. But during the negotiation back in March 2012, they looked at my income as help to cover MH's living expenses, dismissed the fact that I was pregnant because I could have miscarried and the court wouldn't recognize that he had a third child until after he was born, and the fact that she wasn't married at the time and had no other help financially.

I understood and agreed with most of their assessment.

But now we have a kid, she's married, and her husband makes more than the three of us combined... Just doesn't seem fair in some ways if they don't consider even a little bit of that... Especially if it was a consideration the first time.

mrs.sewell

Pegleg715 said:

I know how frustrating it can be.

I do think that there should be financial help, and in no way do I think you are trying to get out of it.. but we do also pay way too much IMO. She is remarried, with another child, and he is also married now (hi!), with 2 more children, and what we pay her covers her entire mortgage, and then some. I don't know why we should have to do that. Contribute to my SD for clothes, life, school activities, sports, etc, yes. Finance their whole life... no.

This is what really bothers me. We were paying for all that stuff (clothes, life, school, sports, etc) on top of the child support.

When Hayden was born, I told my husband that when the kids are at our house spending a little money on them if they needed something was fine. But sending her money every time she signs them up for a sport they didn't actually ask to play, or "go in on" Christmas/Birthday/Holiday gifts and then turn around and buy them something from us... Not happening.