Models include income shares, which apportion a combined obligation, percentage of obligor income, and the Melson formula. Federal law requires guidelines with a rebuttable presumption of correctness.
Guidelines must be reviewed every four years.
Alternative Names:
Support Guidelines|Guideline Support
Why it Matters?
Model differences produce materially different outcomes on identical facts, since income shares accounts for both parents' income while percentage models consider only the obligor's, which matters most where incomes are disparate. High-income cases also diverge because guidelines frequently cap or extrapolate above a defined income level, and the treatment above that cap is discretionary. Confirming the model and any cap is the starting analysis.
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Frequently asked questions
How do the models differ?
How are high incomes handled?
