Columbus Child Support Lawyers

Under Ohio state law, both parents have an obligation to financially support their child until the age of maturity, and ensure that they have the resources to live a full, happy life. This is true for both the biological mother and the biological father, who have a legally-binding responsibility to care for their child.

However, because Ohio courts tend to award primary physical custody to one parent for consistency, the other parent will need to make up for this financial disparity by making regular child support payments. These amounts are required by the court and can only be modified by another court order. In general, child support payments will continue until the child turns 18 or becomes otherwise emancipated.

You may also be required to pay child support if you are divorced and any of the following categories apply to you:

• Adoptive parent
• Parent who acknowledged paternity on a birth certificate
• Parent who acknowledges paternity in probate court

Child support is based on each parent’s income, along with other calculations. If you lose your job and the income that comes with it, it may be considered valid grounds to file for a child support modification. However, keep in mind that the court has to decide if your “material circumstances” have significantly changed: Those with other assets outside of their job may be required to continuing paying for support.

Child support court orders are enforceable in the state of Ohio, which means that you can legally compel your ex-spouse to pay support. If they don’t comply, they will be found in “contempt of court.”

Ohio courts follow a standard formula when calculating the amount of child support a parent needs to pay. The formula will combine both parent’s gross incomes and apply them to a chart identifying the amount of support necessary to raise children in that income category.

Example: If one parent makes $20,000 per year and the other makes $40,000 per year, the parent with the higher income will be required to pay 66% of the child support.

There are additional factors the court will consider when calculating child support including:

• How many children the couple has
• The needs of the child/children
• Education and health-related expenses
• The parent's ability to afford child support payments

The State of Ohio does allow certain deductions to be made to each parent’s income before child support is calculated:

• Local income tax.
• Spousal or child support payments for other former spouses or children
• Value of a federal dependency exemption for the dependents in their household, excluding the children involved in the current child support payment calculations

There are many online tools designed to calculate child support in Ohio, but none of them can compare to the expert advice of an experienced attorney. At Grossman Law Offices, we have two Board Certified Family Relations experts who can look into all the details of your case and determine the best course of action.