South Carolina Child Support Calculator

South Carolina Child Support Basics

As indicated by the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines, any of a child’s two parents can request child support regardless of what their responsibility for their children is. It is expected that both parents help take care of their children.

The South Carolina court is allowed to order one, or both, parents to pay child support. Should the children’s parents be younger than 18, it is possible that the court could order that the grandparents pay child support.

How to Calculate Child Support in South Carolina

When it comes to determining the amount you have to pay in child support in South Carolina, things are not as straightforward as you might think. The South Carolina Child Support guidelines will help the court to calculate your monthly payment. And our South Carolina Child Support Calculator will help you to get an approximate amount before the court.

However, your child custody arrangements can affect the payment. This South Carolina Child Support calculator has been based on the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines. You can be assured that the calculations are accurate and consider the most recent information.

The cost of any children’s medical care, childcare and education, among many other necessary expenses. The number of children that you have, as well as your income, will influence your monthly child support payments.

You can estimate how much you will have to pay with the use of a child support estimator. However, the court has other general guidelines to follow, as well.

Worksheets will be used by the court to determine your monthly payment. Every custody arrangement has a different worksheet that is used. It would help if you looked at the basic child support obligations and worksheets stipulated in the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines.

South Carolina family court lawyers are often asked just how child support is estimated and determined. Child support is worked out based on tables and formulas that were created by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

These are aptly named the ‘Child Support Guidelines’ and there are several factors to be taken into account.

They are:

• The number of children to be supported/previously supported
• Previous child support obligations
• The income of both of the parents
• The health insurance costs paid by both of the parents
• The income of both parents
• The number of other children that the parents have in their homes
• The combined percentage of the income of each parent
• Work-related daycare costs that either parent has to pay

Split custody guidelines will apply if both parents have custody of one or more of their children. When a parent has the child/children for 109 overnights or more, the shared custody guidelines will be applied.

If it happens that the supporting parent is late with the child support, the family court can react. The court can order that the due child support be paid through wage withholding. The court can also order that the payment be made through the family court. In that case, an administrative fee will be attached.

Currently, the administrative fee is 5% of the total amount. When payment is made through the court, the family court clerk keeps a record of payments. The clerk will seek judicial enforcement if a payment is missed.

There is an online child support calculator that can provide a close estimate of child support obligations.

Deviation from the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines

Of course, there are exceptions to all rules. Under certain circumstances, the child support amount set by the family court can be different from the Child Support Guidelines. It does not happen often though.

Here are the factors that can influence the family court to take a deviation from the Child Support Guidelines:

• The parents’ consumer debts
• Educational costs for spouses or children such as trade schools, private schools or higher education
• Equitable distribution of property
• If the family has more than six children
• Extraordinary medical expenses for either parent that are unreimbursed
• Extraordinary medical expenses for the child/children that are unreimbursed
• Child support from another relationship that was not court-ordered
• Alimony payments
• Retirement pensions deducted and union fees
• Non-custodial parent’s support obligations to other children
• Fixed monthly payments ordered by a court or law operation
• Significant income earned by the child
• Non-custodial parent’s income is much less than that of the custodial parent

The family court also has the right to consider other factors that we have not listed. The custodial parent may relocate to another state, for example. This will result in the non-custodial parent having to pay more costs when traveling to spend time with the child/children. In such a case, the non-custodial parent’s child support payment could be reduced.

Child Support in South Carolina Modification

Also, the family court can modify child support at any time if a parent can prove that there was a substantial change in circumstances. There are three factors that a family court can consider when deciding if there have been significant changes in circumstances.

They are:

• Changes in either parents’ financial situation
• A parent remarried which results in termination of alimony payment
• A child’s needs that changed

For example, if a child has an accident and becomes disabled, the cost of care will change. These additional costs could be considered as a substantial change in child care circumstances.

Also, if a parent is laid off from work or becomes disabled and can’t work, this counts as a financial situation change.