Calculating Child Support: Consider Debt Payments Too
Hi, my name is Clint Hastings. I’m a Tulsa Dads.Law attorney here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I focus on fathers’ rights.
Today, I want to talk about an issue I see many attorneys overlook—including debt payments in your child support calculation.
How Debt Payments Can Impact Child Support
When calculating child support, if the court orders you (or you agree) to pay certain marital debts, you can have those payments factored into the support calculation. This can reduce the total amount of child support you owe.
Here’s how it works: the monthly amount you pay on those debts is listed in the child support order and deducted from your gross income before the final calculation is made. However, this is not a dollar-for-dollar credit. For example, if you pay $1,000 a month toward a marital debt and your calculated child support is also $1,000 a month, those two amounts do not simply cancel each other out. Instead, that $1,000 payment is subtracted from your income, which lowers the base income used in the formula—giving you some reduction, but not a full offset.
Consulting With an Attorney
It’s an important detail that can make a real difference, especially when you’re carrying a significant portion of marital debt. Be sure to ask your attorney about this during your case.
Look through the site, let us know what you think, and if you’d like a consultation, give Tulsa men’s child support attorney Clint Hastings a call at 918-962-0900—we’d be happy to help.
