Cleveland Family Law Attorneys

What Is Included As Gross Income For Child Support?

There are many different costs that people in Ohio have and must pay in order to live the lifestyles they are accustomed to living. In order to pay for these costs, people must have income or some source of money. These sources of income could be through a job or other work that the person performs, but it can also come from many other sources. Some of these sources are taxable and some are not, but all of the money received can be used to meet monthly obligations.

For parents, much of the money they receive goes towards paying for their children’s needs. These basic needs include food, clothing, and shelter, but there are other expenses as well. Paying for these expenses while parents are married can be much less complicated, but if the couple divorces, ensuring that both parents are contributing to the children’s needs becomes a little more complicated. So, generally, there are child support orders that order one parent to pay the other child support payments each month.

The amount that a parent pays depends on a number of factors, but the calculations start with determining the parents’ gross income. This can include many different sources. It can include pay from jobs, including tips, commissions, self-employment income, severance pay, trust income, annuities, dividends, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, spousal support, and other sources of income. Gross income does not include government assistance, veteran’s benefits, and others, but most sources of money are included.

There are many parents in Ohio who have child support orders and pay the other parent-child support. Determining the amount of child support can be complicated though. That starts with determining a parent’s income, which can come from many different sources. Basically, any money that a parent receives that could be used to pay for the children’s needs can be included. Experienced attorneys understand these complications and could be a useful resource.