Child Support in Oregon Divorce Mediation:
Mediator Matthew House, J.D.
This page discusses cash child support for minor children in an Oregon divorce. (Matthew's Child Support for Adult Children Attending School page has information about postsecondary child support in Oregon.)
In Oregon, a minor for purposes of child support is a child who is 17 or younger, or who is 18 and attending high school and living with a parent.
The Oregon Department of Justice provides an online calculator to compute the presumptively correct amount of cash child support, according to the Oregon Child Support Guidelines. A child support guideline calculation must be prepared and submitted with every divorce in Oregon.
For most people, the Guidelines are just a starting point. You have options to modify the guideline amount by mutual agreement in mediation if both parties agree and/or if there is good cause to do so. Divorce mediation with Matthew House includes the calculation of child support and the completion of the Oregon Child Support Guidelines worksheet.
Many people find the child support calculator confusing. Sometimes, each party will attempt the calculation and reach a different result. Matthew will run the calculations for you to ensure that they are accurate. To calculate the guideline amount for child support, you will need to supply the following information:
If you agree that spousal support will be paid by one party to the other party, the amount of the spousal support payments will factor into the calculation of child support. Although neither paying nor receiving spousal support has tax consequences, it does increase the available resources of the recipient and decrease the resources of the payer. Therefore, having spousal support in your divorce will change the child support calculation.
The number of parenting time overnights for each parent will also be considered in the calculation. The parenting time schedule will be completed before the child support guideline amount can be calculated.
The payment of health expenses not covered by insurance is always a separate obligation and is not expected to be encompassed in cash child support. Matthew will explain several methods to share the cost of unreimbursed or uninsured health expenses.
Further, because child support in Oregon is meant to provide for the basic needs of the child(ren), Matthew's clients usually include separate stipulations in their Marital Settlement Agreement to share expenses such a as extracurricular activities, a teen driver's car insurance, or similar nonessential but still important costs.
In Oregon, a minor for purposes of child support is a child who is 17 or younger, or who is 18 and attending high school and living with a parent.
The Oregon Department of Justice provides an online calculator to compute the presumptively correct amount of cash child support, according to the Oregon Child Support Guidelines. A child support guideline calculation must be prepared and submitted with every divorce in Oregon.
For most people, the Guidelines are just a starting point. You have options to modify the guideline amount by mutual agreement in mediation if both parties agree and/or if there is good cause to do so. Divorce mediation with Matthew House includes the calculation of child support and the completion of the Oregon Child Support Guidelines worksheet.
Many people find the child support calculator confusing. Sometimes, each party will attempt the calculation and reach a different result. Matthew will run the calculations for you to ensure that they are accurate. To calculate the guideline amount for child support, you will need to supply the following information:
- Each party's gross income from all sources
- Each party's union dues, if any
- The childcare costs, if any, paid by each party
- The health insurance premiums paid by each party for his or her individual health insurance
- The health insurance premiums for the child(ren), which are usually paid by one party
- A retired or disabled parent's Social Security or veterans' benefits paid to a child or on a child's behalf
If you agree that spousal support will be paid by one party to the other party, the amount of the spousal support payments will factor into the calculation of child support. Although neither paying nor receiving spousal support has tax consequences, it does increase the available resources of the recipient and decrease the resources of the payer. Therefore, having spousal support in your divorce will change the child support calculation.
The number of parenting time overnights for each parent will also be considered in the calculation. The parenting time schedule will be completed before the child support guideline amount can be calculated.
The payment of health expenses not covered by insurance is always a separate obligation and is not expected to be encompassed in cash child support. Matthew will explain several methods to share the cost of unreimbursed or uninsured health expenses.
Further, because child support in Oregon is meant to provide for the basic needs of the child(ren), Matthew's clients usually include separate stipulations in their Marital Settlement Agreement to share expenses such a as extracurricular activities, a teen driver's car insurance, or similar nonessential but still important costs.