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Understanding child support by agreement

On Behalf of | Jan 3, 2020 | Child Support |

Noncustodial parents who earn an income tend to have the obligation to pay some amount of child support to the custodial parent if they request it. Most of the time, the amount of child support that is owed can be calculated through a formula that is based on the noncustodial parent’s income.

The thinking behind child support is that all children deserve to be financially supported by both parents so that their quality of life can be maximized. If you have a good relationship with the other parent of your child, you may choose to negotiate child support so that the fairest possible scenario can be brought about.

What is child support by agreement?

Child support by agreement is a term to describe what happens when two parents engage in informal negotiations to decide on child support payments. It may be that you have a unique financial situation that the other parent understands and is willing to work around. For example, if you have an unstable income, it may be difficult for you to commit to paying the same amount of child support every week or month. To remedy this, it may be possible for you and the other parent to agree that you will pay 15% of everything you earn as child support, for example.

These negotiations may be conducted between the two of you, but they may also involve a third party such as a mediator. Involving professionals can help to formalize the process.

If you are interested in going through a collaborative process to put a child support agreement in place, you should consider whether the other parent would be willing to oblige.