In California, the family law courts tend to favor arrangements where both parents share custody of their children. As a result, 50/50 custody is a common outcome for most child custody disputes, an arrangement that ensures both parents play a role in every child’s life.

With this type of arrangement, a parent is often still on the hook for child support payments. This can be frustrating for our clients, many who see child support as a way to ensure that parents are involved. If they’re already sharing custody, why the additional support?

This post seeks to answer that very question. Remember that the information contained is meant as general information. For more specific advice, be sure to contact the skilled child support attorneys at Rubin & Levavi, P.C.

Child Support Is Determined By A Variety of Factors

In California, child support is distinct from child custody. The two are related to an extent, but child support is specifically designed to ensure that a child’s financial needs are fully met. The courts will certainly place a higher financial burden on a parent who holds less or no custody, but other factors come into play as well.

These other factors can include the income or earning potential of each parent, their assets, debts, and liabilities, overall health insurance costs and premiums, the number of children that each parent has, any support received from other parents, and the overall costs that are associated with raising a child.

So for a 50/50 custody split, the ultimate deciding factors on child support arrangements involve finances. The courts want to place an equal financial burden on each parent, and an individual who earns more than his/her ex-spouse is often going to be on the hook for a bigger bill.

Talk to a California Child Support Attorney

While parents might focus on the conflict between each other, it’s important to remember that child support is designed to benefit your child above anyone else. Parents should keep their responsibilities to their children in mind, and conflict between feuding ex-spouses should never take priority over your kids’ needs.

We hope you found this post insightful or helpful. To learn more about this issue, or to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our seasoned family law attorneys, we invite you to call our offices at Rubin & Levavi, P. C. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you with any matters relating to divorce, child custody, or family law in the state of California.