How to calculate child support and alimony in Arizona
When you are getting a divorce, one of the things you’ll need to do is determine how much child support will be paid. In most cases, Arizona will follow close rules regarding maintenance payments and how to calculate them.
Some people believe that child support will be excessive. Others think that they won’t get enough. Instead of guessing, something that you can do is upload your basic information into a child support calculator. This will allow you to put in all of your income and other financial information so that you can determine what a fair value for child support would be.
Similar calculations can be used for spousal support or alimony, but there is no formal calculator. Instead, the length of your marriage, you and your spouse’s ages and your incomes are considerations.
Assessing how much child support is needed
While it is up to you, your spouse and the court to determine how much child support or alimony is needed or appropriate in your case, the calculator can help you get a good idea of what is reasonable for child support. Many factors are input into the calculator, including:
- Length marriage
- Incomes of both spouses
- Ages
- Your time-sharing arrangement
- Spousal maintenance
- Other adjustments
The nice thing about working with a calculator first is that you can go through specific adjustments and see how they would affect how much you or the other party would pay in child support in advance. This may help you negotiate during your discussions or be prepared for the final court order to be a similar amount. For most people, knowing what to expect is the key to moving through this process more easily, so calculating the potential outcome in advance may help you, too.