Calculating child support isn’t as easy as it appears

As part of a divorce or paternity action, our lawyers can help you establish, enforce, or modify child support. A statewide guideline sets the presumed obligation, but parents can still agree to a different amount, subject to the court’s approval.

Getting the inputs right matters more than most parents expect. Pennsylvania allows only a short list of deductions from gross income — income taxes, unemployment and Local Services Taxes, FICA, mandatory union dues, and alimony paid to the other party — so an expense that feels like it should reduce your income usually doesn’t. Housing is handled separately: if the parent receiving support lives in the marital residence and the mortgage, taxes, and insurance exceed 25% of that parent’s net income, the court may shift up to half of the excess to the paying parent, but only while the divorce’s economic claims are open. Custody time counts too. Let our knowledgeable attorneys sort through the details and protect your interests.

How Pennsylvania calculates child support

Pennsylvania uses an income shares model. The court combines both parents’ monthly net incomes, matches that figure and the number of children to the statewide Basic Child Support Schedule in Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-3, then divides the obligation in proportion to what each parent earns. The schedule covers combined net income from $1,300 to $30,000 per month for one to six children; above $30,000, a separate high-income formula applies.

The guideline figure isn’t the whole number. Child care needed for work, health insurance premiums, unreimbursed medical costs above $250 per person per year, and sometimes private school or camp are allocated on top. The schedule also assumes the paying parent has the child about 30% of the overnights — at 40% or more, a reduction is presumed. For the step-by-step math, see our guide: How Much Will You Have to Pay in Child Support?

What our child support attorneys handle

• Establishing support in a divorce, a paternity action, or a filing by an unmarried parent
• Modifying an order after a job loss, a raise, a custody change, or a change in the child’s needs
• Enforcing an order through wage attachment, contempt, and license suspension
• Defending against enforcement when arrears are disputed or nonpayment wasn’t willful
• High-income and self-employed cases, where proving real income is the whole fight
• Add-on expenses — child care, health insurance, medical bills, private school, and camp

Talk to a Philadelphia child support lawyer

Whether you’re filing for support, facing an order you can’t afford, or trying to collect what you’re owed, Graff & Associates can help. We represent parents across Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties from our office in Jenkintown.