Whether you have an upcoming divorce, recently had a change in employment that you believe could alter your child support payments, or you simply want to know more about Georgia child support laws, then you’re in the right place.

Here at The Fairell Firm, we’re eager to help our clients and other members of the Tucker and Atlanta communities more fully understand family law. Because of this, we often take questions from people in the area, such as this question:

The short answer is no — but in today’s blog, we’re going to discuss just how child support in Georgia is calculated. Need a family law lawyer for your upcoming divorce? Interested in modifying your current child support agreement? Contact The Fairell Firm today for help with family law in Atlanta.

So, to answer Corey’s question: no, your income alone is not considered. Both parents’ incomes are subject to consideration and will be fully evaluated when calculating child support, according to the Georgia Child Support Guidelines. If you’re afraid that your ex’s income isn’t being evaluated correctly, a family law attorney could help ensure accuracy and fairness.

Even if your ex doesn’t work and doesn’t have an income — or somehow lies about or changes their income in order to avoid paying child support — your income will still not be the only one considered.

Instead, an income can be assigned to the parent. Courts typically impute income when a parent is fully capable of earning more but doesn’t. This could mean, for example, that the parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, and it often presents itself when a parent quits a job, purposefully seeks termination, or is laid off and won’t look for another job.

Under the law changes for 2018, courts are allowed to use “zero” in very extreme circumstances but it is not likely for most cases. If one parent in fact earns “zero,” then courts look to determine how much income to impute by reviewing previous tax returns, check stubs, or other financial information. At the very least, the court will impute income based on a full-time, minimum-wage job.

Everything from salary to commissions, income, overtime, bonuses, severance pay, and self-employment income will be considered for calculating child support.

For determining the amount owed, however, other considerations such as medical insurance, child care, tuition, and even extracurricular activities are taken into account.

Georgia relies on a Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table to evaluate the base pay that each parent will pay per child. A child support lawyer can cover this table in-depth with to provide family law advice and give you a better understanding of what you could pay and why.

The Judicial Council of Georgia has also provided a free, online child support calculator tool ; however, this may not be the final amount you actually owe in child support and is subject to change. A child support lawyer can help.

Whether you want to know more about Georgia child support laws , need help with custody law , or simply need broad family law advice, you can count on The Fairell Firm. We have extensive experience with both child support and child custody laws in Georgia, and we happily serve clients throughout Atlanta and Tucker. Contact us today to get started with family law. Whether you want to establish or modify child support , we can help.