Mandatory Deviations to Child Support in Marietta
If you live separately from your coparent, one of you must pay child support to the other. The minimum child support amount is determined by a formula, with some required adjustments called mandatory deviations.
Understanding the mandatory deviations to child support in Marietta is critical to ensure you reach an appropriate child support agreement. Get help with your calculations from our team of legal professionals with expertise in child support law.
Calculating the Basic Child Support Obligation
Keeping child support payments fair and consistent across the state is an important consideration. Therefore, like most states, Georgia uses a formula to determine child support. The residential parent satisfies their obligation by providing a home for the child, but the other parent must make payments to satisfy their obligation.
The formula considers each parent’s contribution to the couple’s combined net income and the number of children each parent supports. The formula presumes that parents in the same income bracket spend a similar percentage of their income on their children’s needs.
The state provides a child support worksheet parents can use to calculate their basic obligation. Marietta parents should always ensure an experienced family law attorney reviews their child support worksheet before they submit it to a court with or without mandatory deviations.
Explanation of Mandatory Adjustments
The child support worksheet allows parents to adjust their calculations based on specific factors outlined in the Official Code of Georgia §19-6-15. These adjustments, known as deviations, account for work-related childcare, children’s health insurance premiums, and uncovered healthcare expenses.
Necessary childcare costs — whether to allow a parent to work, further their education, or obtain vocational training — must be shared between both parents. Likewise, both parents are responsible for the children’s health insurance premiums and any unreimbursed or uncovered medical expenses. These costs are divided on a prorated basis; for example, a parent earning 60 percent of the couple’s combined net income is responsible for 60 percent of these expenses.
Since future healthcare expenses can be difficult to predict, child support agreements often include provisions for sharing these costs as they arise. A Marietta family law attorney can guide you through the process and help structure an agreement that addresses these mandatory deviations effectively.
Negotiating a Child Support Settlement
Although the formula and worksheet provide the parents with the suggested child support payment amount for people in their income bracket, parents are free to increase the amount. Some parents choose to make additional payments to cover extracurricular activities, travel, private school, and similar non-necessities.
A Marietta attorney on our team can help parents negotiate deviations to a child support agreement. All negotiated child support agreements must be submitted to the family court, along with the worksheet, for the judge’s approval. Judges review child support agreements to determine whether they further the best interests of the children.
A family court may not approve an agreement that requires a parent to pay less than the suggested amount. However, when the formula amount would cause the parent hardship, the judge could decide that it is in the children’s best interests that they receive less support if that means their parent can maintain a stable home. Starting in 2026, amendments to the law will allow parents a mandatory deviation if they have a low income.
Review Mandatory Adjustments to Child Support With a Marietta Attorney
The child support formula can be difficult to work with. Ensuring the correct formula amount and proper application of the mandatory deviations to child support in Marietta is critical.
Reach out to the attorneys at our firm for help. We have extensive experience calculating and negotiating child support arrangements that meet with court approval. Call today.
