What is Child Support?
In government policy and family law, child support refers to the ongoing practice for a periodic payment distributed directly or indirectly by an obligor (party who is responsible for support his or her family) to an oblige (individual who maintains custody of the child) for the financial care and support of children in a marriage or relationship that ceases to exist. In most child support cases, the obligor is a non-custodial parent, while the obligee is a custodial parent, a government body or a legal guardian to the child.
All child support obligations are administered and subsequently enforced from the state family court system. The amount of each child support payment is calculated by the local court system based on a variety of economic, professional and social factors, including how the individuals cared for the child and each other while together.
How are Child Support Payments Determined?
Although child support laws are different between each state, in general, there are three primary criteria in determining a child support payment. The first, and arguably most influential factor, is income; the amount of income earned by both parents, will be factored into the determination of child support.
The second factor is custodial responsibility; child support will be offered to the parent who most adequately maintains their role as a responsible caretaker. And lastly, the number of children will be evaluated when determining the rate of a child support payment; the higher the number of children involved in a child support settlement, the higher the prospective child support payments will be. This relationship exists, because more children is proportional to more responsibility, including both parental and financial.
Child Support Enforcement in Georgia:
The child support laws for Georgia were specifically designed to ensure that children in paternity and divorce cases receive proper care, regardless or despite the relationship between their parents. Child Support Enforcement in Georgia institutes laws and provisions that establish a system for a more uniform implementation of child support in the state.
Child Support Enforcement in Georgia was established by the Child Support Commission; this agency is in charge with overseeing all aspects of the laws in the state to ensure that appropriate support is paid for the benefit of all children. The task of Child Support Enforcement in Georgia and more specifically the Georgia Child Support Commission includes developing and maintaining child support guidelines to determine the payment obligation among parents.
The fundamental element of child support enforcement in Georgia is the creation, implementation and maintenance of child support guidelines. These guidelines provide legal guidance regarding the computation of child support in paternity and divorce cases. The formula utilized in child enforcement in Georgia involves a consideration of the gross income of both parents with appropriate deductions accounted for. The total obligation reached by using the child support guidelines is the presumed amount an obligor is required to pay.
Duration of Child Support in Georgia:
Child Support Enforcement in Georgia establishes criteria for when child support payments terminate; in the majority of cases, a child support obligation is terminated when a child reaches the age of 18. That being said, other factors that will terminate child support payments are if the child gets married before 18 or if the child dies. Furthermore, if the child does not complete his or her secondary (high school) education before 18, payments will continue until the child graduates or until the age of 20, whichever occurs first.