Alaska Child Support

In Alaska, both parents of a child have the legal responsibility to support their child. Regardless if the parents are married or not, Alaska child support dictates that the parents are obliged to support the child or children financially.

The courts in Alaska outline the amount of money parents must pay in child support each month. Alaska child support focuses on the parents’ income and it is the chief factor in determining the amount of money paid.

Alaska child support calculator

The parents’ monthly or annual gross incomes from all sources will be tallied when deciding the monthly monetary figure paid in Alaska child support. Unemployment, benefits, and other items are also factored in when determining child support payment amounts.

Once parents determine their gross monthly or yearly income, they can figure out their net incomes. This occurs by subtracting income taxes, mandatory union dues, mandatory retirement contributions, some voluntary retirement contributions, social security contributions, court-ordered payments such as child support for children of other relationships, and the cost of necessary work-related child-care.

Alaska child support and primary child custody

A parent has primary, or full, custody if the child and parent live together for 30% or more of the time during the year. This means that the child lives with the parent for at least 110 overnights per year. The parent with primary custody is known as the custodial parent while the parent with the least number of overnights with the child is called the non-custodial parent.

A parent with primary custody is entitled to receive child support from the non-custodial parent.

The amount of Alaska child support that a primary custody holder can expect is determined by:

• Multiplying the non-custodial parent’s annual income by 20% for one child
• For two children, the custodial parent should multiple the non-custodial parent’s annual income by 27%
• For three kids, the non-custodial parent’s annual income is multiplied by 33%.
• Parents with more than three children can simply add 3% for each child

Alaska child support and shared custody

In a shared custody arrangement, the child lives with each parent for at least 30% of the year. The parents will have an agreed upon visitation schedule in their Alaska child support order that outlines the time parents spend with the child.

Cases of shared custody often see parents spend a large percentage of money on the child. Both parents have equal time with the child which means they will spend money on food, clothing, shelter, and other expenses. It is almost as if the parents had not separated. It is assumed by Alaskan courts that the amount of money spent on a child in shared custody is higher than the amount set out by child support guidelines.

Courts calculate the support amount for each parent based on their parenting time share in a shared custody case. Then, the court subtracts the parent with the lower income from the parent with the higher annual total. The difference between the figures is then multiplied by 1.5. The sum is the total child support amount the higher earning parent pays to the lower earning parent.

Does Alaska child support cover healthcare?

Alaskan courts require at least one of the child’s parents to provide healthcare coverage for the youth. In most cases, the parents will be ordered to share the cost equally. Payments for healthcare fall outside of child support parameters and is tacked onto the monthly support amount.

Some children in Alaksa are eligible for Indian Health Services free healthcare. If this is the case for the child, neither parent will be responsible for paying healthcare coverage costs.

In addition to healthcare costs, parents are also equally responsible to cover reasonable healthcare expenses. These expenses fall outside of what is covered by health insurance.

When do Alaksa child support payments end?

Parents must pay child support in Alaska until the child is 19-years old as long as the child is still in high school and living with the other parent. Once the child finishes high school and/or no longer lives with the custodial parent, child support payments may end. Custodial parents can petition Alaska’s courts to continue child support payments past the 19^th birthday or graduation from high school.

Child support in Alaska with no visitation

In Alaska the rules are pretty clear that every parent has an obligation to support his or her child. There are no exceptions. It is not  linked to visitation. It is linked to the income of the parent and how much time a parent spends with the child. So the two things that are important is the amount of time a parent spends with the child and the gross income.

Types of Alaska child support

The four child support calculations in Alaska are:

• shared
• primary
• divided
• hybrid

These calculations are based on the schedule of where the children live. The judge will issue an order stating the amount and starting date for payments. The judge will determine the amount of child support owed according to civil rule ninety point three.

This rule explains how to calculate the amount. Only in very rare circumstances that the court allow a variation from the rule. The judge will not sign the child support order based on the parent’s agreement to vary the support amount. The idea is that child support will allow either parent to properly support the child or support the child as best as the two parents could together.

Primary child custody in Alaska

The technical term for when the kids live with one parent more than 70% of the year (256 or more overnights) and the other parent less than 30% of the year (less than 110 overnights).

Shared child custody in Alaska

If the kids live with each parent more than 110 overnights, the technical term is shared custody.

Divided child custody in Alaska

One parent has primary physical custody of one or more children of the relationship and the other parent has primary custody of one or more other children of the relationship, and the parents do not have shared physical custody of any of their children.

Hybrid child custody in Alaska

The parents have primary physical custody of some of their children and shared physical custody of other of their children.

Alaska family court requirements for child support

Both sides must provide the court with information about income as well as pay stubs w 2s and tax returns. The court needs to understand what your annual adjusted income is. This is your gross income minus allowable deductions from civil rule ninety point three. Incomes for child support purposes is not necessarily the same as income for tax purposes and deductions for child support purposes do not equal deductions for tax purposes. In general your income includes any and all wages payments and in kind benefits that your employer supplies such as housing and meals plus the PFC if you receive it.

Don’t include need based public benefit programs like SSI a tab or TANF. As deductions include what you pay for federal taxes Medicare and Social Security. Attach the child support paperwork to a complaint answer motion or notice of filing you need to make a copy for the other side and a copy for your own records. Remember you must serve the other side and you must also file a certificate of service with the court as proof that you have given the other side a copy of the documents. The court will make a decision and issue a child support order. The order will say who owes the support the amount in the starting date for payment.

Alaska child support enforcement

The Alaska Child Support Services division or CSX  can collect and enforce child support orders issued by the court. CSX is not automatically involved in your case unless one parent applies for their services or the parent who has physical custody of the children receives a public benefit.

There are two ways someone can get a child support order from the court or from CSX. The court must issue support orders when it decides a custody arrangement and a divorce or dissolution with children involved or between unmarried parents. In addition CSX can issue administrative child support order if parents have split up and one parent wants the other to provide support. But there is no court case. If there is a later court case that results in a child support order. The court order takes priority over a CSX order.  This is common for people obtaining Divorce in Alaska.

Can I stop paying child support in Alaska

The judge must make an order for child support whenever the court makes a custody decision. This is required by federal and state laws. The child support is calculated using a specific formula that is based on your parenting plan.

• Alaska Child support is not optional
• Child support in Alaska cannot be waived
• Children in AK are entitled to financial support

Changes to child support Alaska

If there is a change in circumstances a child support order can be changed either by the court or Child Services, depending on who issued the child support order.

The court can modify a support order in Alaska based on two situations:

1. if there is a 15 percent change in the amount of child support orders. This means that when you calculate support based on the current income of the parent who pays it is 15 percent more or less than the current support order.
2. the Court can change a support amount if there has been a change in the parenting plan that changes the number of overnights so that you now have a different type of arrangement.

For example from a shared custody situation to a primary custody situation if a person’s income goes up then the person receiving the child support may want to come back to the court and have it modified.

If a person’s income goes down that person may want to go back to the court. The important thing is not to just without a court order change and then let years go by before you go to court. The people need to go back and change the child support order either by agreement stipulation to the court or by emotion to the court

If you think that the support amount should change. You can file a motion to modify child support.  If you feel you should be paying less child support or are currently overpaying child support in Alaska and need more information, visit our child support loopholes in Alaska, AK page.

If you find you need to attend Family Court in Alaska you can find the full Alaska Family Court list here.

Child Support Attorney in Anchorage Alaska

Child Support Attorney in West Island Alaska

Child Support Attorney in Woodrow Alaska

The phone number for Alaska Anchorage Child Support is: +1 907-269-6900

Child Support Alaska Chat Agents are currently: offline

In Alaska, Child Support is managed by Child Support Services which can be found here

Online Resources

Helpful Alaska Child Support Resources

Alaska Social Services

Fatherhood Programs Alaska

Child Support Hub

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Judges in Alaska family court make their judgements on child support based on Civil rule 90.3

The full text of 90.3 can be downloaded here