California Guideline Child Support Changes Are Now in Effect

Effective September 2024, the California Legislature changed the Guideline Child Support Calculation. The changes include how child support add-ons are allocated between the parties and expands sources of income used to calculate child support. 

Child Support Formula Guidelines – Add ons

Generally each party is ordered to pay one-half out of pocket medical expenses and childcare costs.  The expenses are generally called, “mandatory add ons”.  As of September 2024, rather than a 50/50 split of these costs, the mandatory add-ons can be allocated in proportion to the parent’s net disposable income unless a party requests a different allocation.  

Sources of Income

SB 343 expands the sources of income included to calculate a parent’s gross income.  The court will now include capital gains, severance pay, non-need-based veterans’ benefits, and military allowances for housing and food. 

How do these changes affect child support? 

Child support decreases when the combined income of the paying parent and receiving parent is low and increases when the combined income is high. The new default method for add-on allocation is based on adjusted net disposable income of the parties. 

How do these changes affect spousal support?

Spousal support increases when the combined income of the parties is high and decreases when combined income is low. Income that is allocated to child support is unavailable for spousal support. This means that the lower-earning spouse may receive less spousal support if child support increases because a larger portion of the higher-earning spouse’s income is diverted to child support. 

Whether total support increases or decreases depends on each party’s income and custodial timeshare. 

Understanding child and spousal support orders can be daunting and confusing. To get the best result for child support, you need an attorney who understands how the court calculates support and what factors the court should use to determine California Guideline Child and Spousal Support. It’s important to have quality legal representation to advocate for your best financial interests. Livingstone Law, APC., has litigated, mediated, and negotiated hundreds of support motions over the course of 28 years. Contact us at Livingstonelawsd.com for a free 10-minute consultation.

This blog is intended for information purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice.