Indiana residents can use a child support calculator to determine how much parents should have to pay in child support. The nice thing about this kind of tool is that it helps you understand the child support guidelines and can give you a general idea of what to expect in terms of paying support in the future.
Child support is designed to make sure your child has everything they need as they grow up in two single-parent households. Children in the state are able to receive this money from either or both parents until they reach the age of 18 (and longer in some cases).
What are some factors included in child support calculations?
Indiana looks at a few different factors to decide how much support a parent should pay. It may take into consideration:
- The custodial and noncustodial parents’ net incomes after tax.
- The number of overnights the child or children will stay with each parent.
- How much day care may cost, if it’s needed.
- Who will pay for the child(ren)’s medical insurance.
These and other factors may be used to determine how much a parent has to pay in support.
Child support in Indiana: Using a calculator
The state provides a helpful child support calculator that you can use to estimate the amount that you’ll pay. It will have you enter the names of the two parents, their weekly gross income, the number of subsequent children and any previously owed child support for prior-born children. If alimony or maintenance is paid, this will be included in the calculation, as will the total amount of parenting time and insurance paid. Child care also gets added in.
Get your weekly obligation, and then start negotiations with your spouse
With this calculator, the support obligation will be listed in a weekly amount. That calculation could be a good place to start if you were planning on negotiating with your spouse or were trying to figure out if there is a modification that can be made to the support obligation due to changes in your or your ex-spouse’s income or other factors.
