The Law Offices of

B J Fadem & Associates, APC

Certified Family Law Specialist

California child support is centered on the idea that both parents are required to financially support their children.   With that in mind, California has developed child support guidelines to determine what is fair and appropriate based upon a range of factors.  In high-income households, child support often becomes a much contested issue.  At the Law Offices of BJ Fadem & Associates our attorneys are determined to attain results in child support disagreements that are fair to the children and reasonable for our clients.

How does the Court determine income in order to calculate child support?
Each parent’s net disposable income is used to calculate support.  Income for the purpose of child support includes first determining gross income from all sources, such as salary and wages, bonuses, overtime, commissions, rental income, dividends, pensions, disability insurance benefits, unemployment, social security benefits, income from ownership of a business, etc.  Gross income does NOT include need-based public assistance benefits (such as Supplemental Security Income, CalWORKS, or general assistance).  Then the court deducts state and federal tax obligations, union dues, health insurance premiums.

How is timeshare determined?
Timeshare is the amount of time each parent has primary responsibility for the children.  The Court has discretion to calculate the percentage of timeshare based on how involved each parent is.

What about additional expenses for the children?
Certain child-related expenses that the Court can add on to the basic child support guideline amount are uninsured health care and child care used for employment purposes or to attend training necessary for employment.  Education, travel, extracurricular expenses are discretionary.

How long do child support orders last?
Parents have a duty to support their children until their children are 18 years old or graduate from high school if they are 19 and not yet graduated.  However, to the extent they are able, both parents have a duty to support a child of any age who is incapacitated from earning a living and does not have sufficient means to live on their own.

The Law Office of BJ Fadem & Associates review every detail to ensure that all necessary information is accounted for and represented appropriately to obtain the best results for your child support issue.  Our expansive knowledge of family law and years of experience is vital when high-income families or hidden income becomes an issue.

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Seeking sound legal counsel with regard to Child Support is a very important decision.  Making the wrong or uninformed decision could cost you your family.  Helping families is what Attorney B J Fadem does.


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    California Jan 27, 2014