Child Support Question - Minneapolis,MN

Maybe it's just me but if you guys are finally getting along and even though you don't feel he's providing enough everything is still fine.... I'd value the peace over a small pittance of additional money. I think I've heard just too many ex war stories anymore. If everything was fine I'd leave well enough alone. You pry are entitled to more but what is worth more peace.... or a few bucks?

There are a lot factored into the calculation for child support so you can't really ask the general public what is an accurate amount and what isn't. Our county has a website that has a free child support calculator where you plug in all the info and it calculates the bottom line on how much is owed to which parent. I hope this helps, good luck.

Point blank you do what is necessary to support your kids. 7 years is a long time and things do change. A question to ask is if he has more children to support with his new wife and do you have other children to support with your husband? This will make a difference in how child support may be calculated. It also matters how much time he spends with them and who makes more.. You should let your x know that child support is for every day items such as food, clothing, and shelter, but it would sure be nice and your children would enjoy the extras like sports or other stuff in school. What does your x say if the kids ask him for money? I don't really believe you should put the kids in the middle by making them ask, but I am curious what he says to them if he is ever asked?
If you need child support reviewd and changed I say do it. $600 is not a lot for 4 kids sorry, but that covers maybe food for the 4 of them.

Since you have a decent relationship with your ex, maybe your first approach should be to track the spending per month and compare "half" to the $600 that you are getting. Then you can show him in black and white what the expenses are - chances are he has no clue on how much things cost. If he sees it in front of him, maybe he'll agree to give extra, or adjust it since it's automatically deducted and sent to you. If it doesn't work, then I'd request a review.

It depends on his income and yours. Your state should have its child support guidelines published on the internet. In my state both parties are supposed to fill out a ton of information on the form but at the end of the day, the orders boil down to a % of the non-custodial parent's income. If his income has changed substantially (in my state that means by more than 25% either up or down) then you have grounds to ask for a review. In my state, the incomes of other spouses (your new husband and his new wife) don't count, so you can't use his wife's income to increase what he can pay.

Run the numbers and see what they tell you. Of course it takes more than $600 a month to raise 4 children, but you can't get blood from a stone.

I believe it depends on his income, etc. They have child support calculators on the state websites. It may also factor in your income, I can't say for sure on that part. It doesn't seem that great for 4 kids though unless y'all make a hefty amount. That's messed up he won't help out anything extra, my daughter's father is a dead beat as far as being in her life but he still talks to me (why he doesn't talk to her I don't know, I've got onto him about it before) but he will help out when he can. For one child our court-ordered child support, according to the state's child support calculator, was $430 for ONE child! That was an USMC E-3 salary with BAH (based on the zip code for yuma arizona if you want to look the pay chart and BAH calculator up and compare it to your ex's salary) so not sure how close your ex's salary is to that, you could look up your state and find the calculator b/c that sounds silly for all 4 kids.

Not sure how to advise about the boat rocking thing, that is something that you have to trust your gut with. Maybe break it down barney style for him and tell him the $600 a month doesn't pay for blah, blah, and blah for the 4 kids. Child support is not meant to cover a majority of expenses, but it should cover near half if not close... it took two to make them and both should be responsible in some way.

Ask the courts for a review. In NV they review it every 3 years or if a significant change of circumstances happens. If they are over a certain age then that is factored in. You can also ask that he pay for half of the activities.....those normally are not considered in the CS.

I would contact your child support office and ask when they typically do reviews of child support. Just let them know that you've been divorced for about 7 years and never had one. Basically, just let the case worker know that the kids are involved in activities and other things, and he's not helping, so you're wondering if you can get a review of your case.

From there, they will look at your case, send both of you letters stating that they're reviewing the case and making changes as needed. You may also want to check the divorce decree and see what it says as far as paying for kids activities and so on. If the divorce decree says that you share these equally, then point that out to him and ask for half of the expenses.

Good luck hon!

if hes been at the same job for the last 7 yrs hes pry gotten a raise or two or 3...where i live youll have to take him back to court and they will make adjustments more then likely it will only take one time going back because its just the law, he cant do anything to stop it from happening. you pry wont even need a lawyer there are court forms you can print out and fill in. here its 20% of his income so if his income went up his child support should as well. also make sure he dosen't have a 2nd way of income like a 2nd job or side jobs. you wont really be rocking the boat because your just trying to get what should be going to you children... at least thats what i try and tell my x lol good luck hun

My assumption is if hes using the phrase "that's what child support is for", hes not going to be willing to negotiate paying more for extra activities and/or sports. I do, however, agree with the other women when they say to approach him about it first. If he refuses, do some homework before going to have the child support re-evaulated. Usually it is based upon both your incomes, $ you pay for childcare, etc. so try finding a child support calculator you can do yourself and see if the amount would even change. You might be wasting your time gonig to have it re-evaulated if the amount isn't even going to change.

Good luck and keep your head up =o )

I haven't been through your situation, but isn't child support based not just on for how many children, but primarily on your your ex's income? Can you ask for a review of his income and tax returns?

Since you are using child support enforcement to get your child support they can tell you what the rates are that he should be paying.

My daughter is in rehab with child #7 and the 2 kids I have guardianship of have court ordered child support. The minimum wage child support she is ordered to pay is about $170 per month per child. Of course she can't afford that. One of the dads has several children he pays on, works for places like Lowes and pays over $200 per child to each of the parents of his kids. The other dad only pays the same as my daughter. He works under the table most of the time so we hardly ever get anything from him.

So I guess, if he is working at least minimum wage the his child support would be est. $170 per child, or just over $680 per month. Minimum. If he works for much more than that he should be paying some above that.

I assume his child support was compared to his earnings and the total of $600 is the fair amount the court/judge came up with. Call the child support office ans ask your case manager how they came up with that total and if it can be raised.

I am from Nebraska and I know here they base child support on the a percentage of what you make. Age doesn't matter unless they are no longer minors.

$600 a month for 4 kids is not enough. But, it's better than nothing.
My ex had a child support order and we were to split medical bills and activities, etc 50/50.
When I broke my leg, my income went down considerably and the child support office told me that I should ask for a review. I did.
I had my son 67% of the time and ended up with $70 per month in child support. AND, because it took them a while to reach that decision, I ended up OWING my ex because it was determined he had overpaid.
He owned a home, a vacation property, a boat, a couple of vehicles.....
As a self employed real estate agent, he was able to show that I actually made more money on disability than he made.
I got hosed. Big time.
In California, once you ask for a review, you can't take it back. Their determinations are forwarded to the judge for order.
I would just be really careful about thinking you might get more.
If you and your husband are capable of supporting the girls beyond what their dad pays, sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.
I'm just saying that was my experience.
I'm not remarried and had no other source of income but disability and child support at the time.
I took a hit, to be sure.

Just my opinion.
Best wishes.

Take him back for a review of child support. Don't let your kids suffer.