How is it that you only had $784 in CS, with three children? Just using my two minor children, I plugged into our state's (FL) online CS calculator and came up with about $2100/mo!
MX is maintenance. Parenting time was 183 nights versus 182 nights.
Actually, the CS is $398.
Different states do pretty different things. I've a friend, a college professor in NY who pays around 1/3 of his income in CS for 2 kids.
This is all based on Me: $7800/mo gross Her: $1000/mo gross and me paying her $2500/mo in spousal maintenance.
Colorado has a table some where that lists what they call the "Basic Child Support Obligation" the spreadsheet is only for combined incomes up to $20K/mo. For a single child combined incomes of $20K/mo the BCSO = $1858. For three kids it is $3159.
Then, they multiply this by 1.5 and apportion it based on each parent's share of the total income after MX. So, if each parent made the same amount of money after MX and the amount of parenting time were equal, the burden of the BCSO falls equally on each parent. Then, if the parenting time is equal between parents, then neither would pay child support. If the kids spent all their time with the mother, then the CS from the Father to the Mother is the BCSO - the Mother's share of 1.5*BCSO *2
In this case income Mom/Dad income $10K/$10K parenting time 365/0. The BCSO = $3159 plus 50% = $4738.50 each parent's share of the enhanced BCSO = $2369.25 = ($3159*1.5)/2. Since the kids spend no time with Dad, he owes Mom 1/2 the difference between her share of the enhanced BCSO and the BCSO like this (BCSO = $3159 her share of the enhanced BCSO = $2369.25 the difference = $3159 - $2369.25 = $789.75 times 2 = $1579.5
So, when you plug the numbers into the calculator, you see that for me it was Mom/Dad income $3500/$5300 40%/60%, parenting time split 183/182. The BCSO = $1808.
The enhanced BCSO = $2712. Shares of the enhanced BCSO = $1078.64/$1633.36 based on percentage of total income.
Based on a percentage of parenting time:49.86%/50.14% the support obligation = ($1078.64 * .4986) = $540.80/ ($1633.36 * .5014) = $814.44.
Then since they've each got parenting time it's different and the CS obligation is $814.44 - $540.80 = $273.64.
I felt that was to little for what I had told her all along, so, I monkeyed with the numbers to get closer to $400.
The bottom line is that different states do different things.
Dan, I think Oregon is similar to Colorado. Your income numbers are also very similar to mine. Since I pay no spousal support, my amount came out a bit higher at $600 (2 kids and 50/50 custody).
Did you get anything in writting about college finances?
Wish I knew of some super slick way to help those days. Truly, the only thing that helped was when I quit trying to avoid the pain and in a fit of exasperation or perhaps desperation, I mentally and metaphorically ripped my ribcage open exposing my heart to life the universe and everything.
I'm not sure if it's made the pain any less, but, at least now I'm dealing with it.
As for the maintenance and child support, well, different states do different things. What Colorado does isn't really relevant for your situation, so, it's just possibly interesting information.
We did not specify anything in the decree regarding college. We've definitely got a different opinion on that score. I paid my own way through college while she didn't finish college.
So, I suspect arising out of a mental pain of hers, she is very insistent that we pay for the kids to go to college. I paid my own way and so, I'm a little more calm about it. It isn't like I don't want to help my kids, but, I don't figure that I need to go broke putting them through college either. The downside is of course that the system is stacked against a student paying their own way if their parents have money.
I haven't the foggiest idea what we will do in 5-6 years. Right now, I want her to get a real job with normal hours so the kids can start spending some time at her house. I love my kids, but, she moved out just over 1 year ago and I'm a little worn out and could use a break from the kids a bit. Once they start spending time with their Mom, I'll probably miss them a lot.
It should be much worse. It was intended to be a collection of nearly independent states, but, the central government has been ascendant for quite some time.
Even in countries that have a single law, there is often vast differences in how it's applied between different geographic areas.
Why is it that the United States does not have one law for all Americans. I thought you were United. Seems very buearocratic to me. Money wasting.
It is a heirarchy of laws. The US Constitution is the highest and states can create their own laws as long as they dont conflict with the Constitution. Likewise, city governments can make their own laws as long as they dont conflict with state and federal laws.
It does indeed provide many jobs for politicians and bureaucrats at all levels of government. The immoral and incompetent have families and need to work (or steal) too.
