Much like death and taxes, child support payments are often a necessary inevitability when it comes to divorce and custody. The court uses reported income, among other things, in order to calculate how much child support an individual should be paying. But what actually qualifies as income? The State of Connecticut Child Support Guidelines list all the sources of income the court will look at when calculating how much child support you should be paying. Some examples of these sources of income are: salary, hourly wages (including overtime and part time work), commissions, bonuses, and tips, severance pay, military or veterans benefits, pensions or retirement income, and any interests, dividends, and annuities you may get from your investments. For the full list of what is defined as income, please contact our office for a consultation. There are also specific exclusions from income included in the Guidelines as well. These include payments like any type of federal, state, or town public assistance, earned income tax credit, and SSI benefits.
It’s important to remember that the list included in the Child Support Guidelines is NOT exhaustive. You may have a specific source of income that is not included by name but could still qualify as income under the Guidelines. A good rule of thumb is this: if it is not SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED the source is most likely income and will be included in your child support calculation.
Although it’s true that no one wishes they could pay MORE child support, at the end of the day, the payment’s sole purpose is to make sure your child is taken care of. However, if you arm yourself with information and learn all you can about how child support is calculated, the idea can become much less unwelcome.
By Alison J. Toumekian, Associate at Prince Law Group