Child support is the financial obligation that a parent owes to his or her child’s custodial parent for the support of their children. Although every individual family’s situation is unique, support is usually paid by a father who does not live with and directly care for his children. In many instances, a mother may be required to pay when she does not have legal custody of her child or children. Sometimes, both parents may be required to pay another person when neither of them have legal custody.
The primary caregiver is provided with monetary compensation or assistance to care for the welfare of the child. This support is designed to meet the needs and cost of living in society by assisting with food, clothing, health care, entertainment, education, and other expenses for the child. Child support can be paid voluntarily by the parent or court mandated.
Many countries around the world believe that it is the responsibility of both biological parents to provide financial support for the well being of their children. This is especially true in the western half of the world, where divorce rates tend to be higher. The amount of money that parents are required to pay is a percentage that is usually based on one of two principals: the cost of raising a child or the gross income of the non custodial parent. In the United States, individual state laws differ on how the payment amounts are calculated.
Child support is normally paid by a parent until the child or children reach 21 years of age. Varying laws and specific agreements made between parents might extend or decrease this age, however. For example, an agreement may be made or mandated at the time of parental separation that payments will be made by the non-custodial parent until the child graduates from college.
Base child support may also be accompanied by additional expenses that the parent must pay. Sometimes, for example, it may be required that half of all medical, child care or educational expenses are supplied by the non-custodial parent. In other cases, the support paid by the parent is expected to be sufficient to meet one parent’s obligation for all his or her child’s needs.
