Parents in Arizona are obligated to financially support their children. While child support is meant to be a simple monthly calculation, state guidelines can be difficult to understand and accurately follow.
If you have an ongoing child support case, need help establishing child support for your child, or have questions about Arizona’s child support laws, reach out to the 602 Law Group. We offer practical advice and cost-effective solutions to parents throughout the Phoenix area.
The 602 Law Group Can Help You in Your Child Support Matter
At the 602 Law Group, our child support attorneys can help you in a stand-alone child support case or with a child support issue within a larger divorce, paternity, legal separation, or other matter. We are a full-service family law firm with the Phoenix family law attorney resources to stand beside you regardless of your case’s complexity.
You need to know your legal rights and obligations under Arizona’s child support statutes before filing or entering into a legal case or child support discussion with your co-parent or their attorney. Having a child support attorney from the 602 Law Group by your side will ensure you are legally protected and that your child support obligation is calculated correctly.
Call the 602 Law Group in Phoenix at 602-857-5000 to schedule your confidential child support consultation, or contact us online.
How Does Child Support Work in Arizona?
In Arizona, child support is typically ordered during a legal action for divorce, legal marital separation, or paternity. It may also be ordered as the result of a child custody modification.
When it comes to calculating an amount for child support, Arizona has guidelines to aid in the fair calculation of monthly child support obligations. These guidelines stipulate what is factored into a monthly support payment.
Per statute, child support in Arizona includes:
- A child’s maintenance or subsistence
- A child’s medical insurance coverage
- Payment of uninsured medical expenses for a child
- Educational costs
- Extraordinary expenses for a gifted child
- Child support arrearages
- Interest on arrearages
- Past support
- Interest on past support
- Reimbursement for expended public assistance
While extracurricular activities are not part of a child support calculation, private schools and gifted education may be included.
Calculating Child Support
The Arizona child support guidelines use a mathematical formula when calculating a monthly support obligation. The base support amount includes:
- The cost of the children’s health insurance
- Any work-related daycare costs
- The number of parenting days with the noncustodial parent
- Extraordinary educational expenses
When the court is making a child support order, it should also consider the following:
- The resources and needs of the parents
- The standard of living the child would have enjoyed if living in an intact household
- The physical and emotional condition of the child
- The child’s education needs
- The provision of health insurance for the child
- The duration of parenting time and related expenses incurred by the noncustodial parent during that parenting time
Once the guideline amount is established, it is divided in proportion to the parents’ respective incomes. When the parents’ incomes exceed $20,000 per month combined, the court may deviate from the guidelines when doing so is proven to be in the best interest of the child.
It is important to note that parents may agree upon a monthly child support obligation in Arizona. However, that obligation must be in the best interest of the child and meet the approval of the court. A Phoenix child custody lawyer can also help discuss your legal case for custody in an effort to ensure your child’s best interest is fully actualized.
Modification of Child Support in Arizona
Child support may be modified periodically in Arizona upon a parent showing that there is a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. A change in a parent’s employment status or health may constitute a modification of child support.
Termination of Child Support in Arizona
Child support is terminated in Arizona upon a child’s emancipation, when they turn eighteen or graduate from high school, or turn nineteen, whichever happens first. There is an exception for the severely disabled.
Contact an Experienced Phoenix Child Support Attorney Today
At the 602 Law Group, we want you to meet your legal goals without being overwhelmed by financial worries. That is why we work with you to provide quality, efficient legal services at prices tailored to fit your needs. Do not wait to have your questions about Arizona’s child support laws answered– call an experienced Phoenix child support attorney today.
Contact the 602 Law Group online or call us at 602-857-5000.