Child Support

         Ohio law requires child support to be calculated under child support guidelines. The law sets basic support schedules that must be used to determine the amount of child support, based on the number of children and the combined gross income of the parents, as well as other factors and/or credits.

         The support schedules are based on the average cost of raising children in households across a wide income range. To determine the appropriate amount of child support, the court calculates both parents’ gross incomes and then combines them. Any spousal support paid is added to the recipient’s income and deducted from the payor’s income to arrive at gross income. The total is then used to locate the child support amount on a basic chart provided in the support statutes.

         Costs of medical insurance and necessary childcare are factored in, and the resulting child support obligation is divided according to the percentages of each party’s income to their total combined annual income. The amount of child support determined by these calculations is presumed appropriate. The court has discretion to deviate from the basic support tables when the calculated child support is inequitable and not in the children’s best interest.           The court also issues orders for healthcare insurance and payment of uninsured healthcare expenses for the children. Child support must be paid through Ohio Child Support Payment Central, usually by means of wage withholding. 
 

*excerpt derived from OSBA website