Divorce 101. A series of occasional blogs about divorcing in California. Part 9. Child support and divorce

One of the most important financial issues a couple needs to deal with when divorcing in Los Angeles is child support. California, like most States, has guidelines to determine child support payments. The payment amounts are based on each parent’s income and the amount of time he or she spends with the children.
Other factors might change substantially the amount agreed upon. Think for example of childcare expenses, like preschool or private tuitions, healthcare costs, including medical insurance, or special education needs that might be needed, or extracurricular activities, like sports or music lessons.
Both parents need to acknowledge the fact that they are fully informed of their rights under state law and that the amount of child support is mutually agreed on. Also said amount is in the children’s best interests and will adequately meet their needs, and finally, for welfare recipients, the right to support has not been assigned to the county, and neither parent has a public assistance application pending.
Once again, the silver lining about having to deal with these sometimes sticky issues is that the court will accept any agreements between the spouses, without interfering or making determinations as to its fairness. The court will become involved if the parents cannot find an agreement.
Occasionally, in our experience at the We the People Woodland Hills office, spouses ask us for some guidance in determining the amount of child support. There is a tool, called Cal Support, used by the court and every law firm in town which is a complex sets of calculations based on the situation of the couple. We can run Cal Support in the Woodland Hills office of The Document People, included in the price of a divorce, to help guide our customers in the important determination of the amount of child support.
The Document People is a network of legal document assistants with a common purpose: helping customers with uncontested divorces with minor children. We are looking forward to offering you divorce assistance in our offices at We The People in Woodland Hills, We The People in Santa Monica, The Document People in San Fernando, Torrance, Anaheim and Oceanside.
The information contained in this blog – including information of a legal nature – is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.