How does child support in Connecticut work?
Parents in Connecticut are financially responsible for their children. Regardless if parents are together and living in the same household, or separated through divorce, they must take care of their kids financially. CT child support enables divorced parents to take care of their children through monthly payments. Child support payments are made by one parent to the other, ensuring that the child has basic needs including shelter, food, and clothing.
In Connecticut, child support is determined by the Income Shares Model. The model is used to estimate the amount of money a parent would spend on their child if the couple still lived together with the child/children in one household. The estimated amount is then divided between the two parents based on their incomes.
Who pays Connecticut child support?
Child support in Connecticut is paid by the non-custodial parent and received by the custodial parent. The non-custodial parent is the individual with the fewest contact hours with the child. The custodial parent has the most contact hours with the child and is the parent that the child lives with most of the time.
The custodial parent receives monthly payments from the non-custodial parent to help raise the child financially. It is assumed by Connecticut courts that the custodial parent pays an equal share of child support, however, the money is spent day-to-day on the child.
The custodial parent’s portion of Connecticut child support is paid through every day activities. Due to the non-custodial parent not living full-time with the child, their CT child support payments are made monthly.
Connecticut child support calculator
Connecticut child support is based on both parents’ combined net incomes. Gross income includes most types of earned or unearned income and the net income is calculated by subtracting the allowable deductions. Some examples of income include:
- Employment wages
- Commissions
- Self-employment income
- Bonuses
- Dividend or interest income from investments
- Rent
- Workers’ compensation
- Unemployment insurance benefits
- Pension and/or retirement benefits
Income does not include child support received by a parent for children from an additional relationship, public assistance benefits, or Supplemental Security Income.
Once the individual parents have added up their gross incomes, they can deduct the following expenses to get their net income for CT child support
- Income tax payments
- Medical, hospital or dental insurance premiums for the parent and legal dependents
- Premiums for court-ordered life insurance purchased for the child’s benefit
- Court ordered disability insurance premiums
- Court-ordered alimony or child support paid for other dependents
- Mandatory union dues
- Fees for uniforms and tools
- Social security tax payments
- Mandatory retirement contributions
- Medicare tax payments
Parents with children from other relationships currently living with them, are able to deduct an amount of support.
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