Child Support

In Michigan, child support and child care/day care contribution are calculated using something called the “Michigan Child Support Formula.” Click here for a link to the 2013 version of the Michigan Child Support Formula Manual. A child is entitled to receive child support until they are 18 or until they graduate from high school, whichever is later, but in no event past 19 ½ years of age.

Calculating child support is far more complex than simply plugging in the parent’s incomes and the number of children involved. There are numerous other factors that need to be considered, such as whether a party pays union dues, or has other children unrelated to the case. Also, especially with a small business or family-run business, you need to carefully review how the person’s claimed income is determined, because they may be trying to show less than their “true” income. For example, if one has their family-run business pay their car payment, even though they often use that car for personal purposes, it should be considered when determining the person’s “true” income.

One of the most important things to understand about child support is that you can ONLY modify it back to the date you file and serve the other party with the written request/motion for modification. So, if you lost your job in January, but you wait until March to file and serve the request to reduce your child support, the Court will ONLY go back to March, not the January date when you actually lost your job. If you lose your job or get a pay cut or have to take a new job with less income, it is crucial to immediately file the request for a child support reduction.

Attorney Matt Catchick has over 17 years of experience calculating child support, and he has the same child support programs used by the Courts and the Friend of the Court Offices throughout Michigan. If you think you may be entitled to a reduction in child support, or if you think you should receive more child support because your ex got a raise or a new higher-paying job, call or e-mail Matt today for a free initial consultation to perform preliminary child support calculations.

Catchick Law, PC. Personal Service. Proven Results.