Support Establishment: Understanding Support Orders
Dan is paying court-ordered child support for his daughter Isabella from his first marriage to Karen (depicted above).
Dan got remarried to Leslie and had a son named Ethan, but that relationship ended and Leslie filed for child support (depicted below).
Example Case # 2: Dan (multiple support orders)
Income and Number of Children Involved
Dan's income after allowable deductions is $45,000 a year. Dan has multiple support orders for two children from two ex-wives. In cases where a non-custodial parent has more than one child support order, the amount per case is determined in the order in which the child support orders were established. Dan's first child support obligation is for his daughter Isabella. Dan's second child support order is for his son Ethan. Dan's child support obligation for Ethan cannot be determined until we deduct what he is paying for his existing child support obligation for Isabella:
| Income after allowable deductions | $45,000 |
1 child involved (Isabella): 17%
of income |
x .17 |
| Approximate basic child support obligation for Isabella | $7,650 |
| Child related expenses | + $1,300 |
| Basic child support obligation for Isabella | $8,950 |
| Income after allowable deductions | $45,000 |
| Deduct the basic child support obligation for Isabella | - $8,950 |
| Income after first child support obligation | $36,050 |
| Income after allowable deductions | $36,050 |
| 1 child involved (Ethan): 17%
of income |
x .17 |
| Approximate basic child support obligation for Ethan | $6,128 |
| Child related expenses | none |
| Basic child support obligation for Ethan | $6,128 |
| Income after allowable deductions and first child support obligation | $36,050 |
| Deduct the basic child support obligation for Ethan | - $6,128 |
| Income after second child support deductions | $29,922 |
As you can see, although both of Dan's orders were for one child, and the percentage is the same (17%), the obligation for the second order is based on the income after the first order is deducted.
Child Related Expenses
The court also considers child-related expenses such as child care. In this example, Dan's first obligation includes money for these expenses, but the second obligation does not as none were requested.