Child Support in Arizona

How much will I get/pay?  What does it include?  How long does it last for?  In any divorce or custody case where minor children are involved, one of the first questions from a new or prospective client almost always has to do with child support.  What they don’t know is that in Arizona, determining child support is as easy as plugging numbers into a formula.

The courts use a basic child support formula to determine who, and how much, child support is paid in any given case.  The formula takes into account the parties’ respective incomes, parenting days per year and who pays for the medical insurance for the children.  In addition, any spousal maintenance paid/received by either party is factored into the respective parties’ income calculation.

In certain cases, the court may take into account the following costs as well:

• Child care expenses
• Educational costs (i.e. school tuition)
• Extraordinary child (i.e. costs associated with care for special needs child)

Once all of the relevant information is entered, the amount of child support is calculated.  Best of all, the very same formula the court uses to calculate child support is available here The Judicial Branch of Arizona on the court’s website, for anyone to access.

Of course, there can be extenuating circumstances that warrant a deviation from this standard child support calculation.  For more information on these and other child support issues, you should contact an attorney at Trullinger & Wenk, PLLC, 623-201-8773.