State’s weekly support payment schedule hasn’t changed since 1989; formula based on 1970s data
The Indiana Supreme Court this month approved the most substantial revisions to the state’s child support guidelines in nearly 50 years that will increase weekly payments for everyone except low-income parents.
The uptick in payouts stem from a significant shift in how child support is determined based on the “evolving landscape of modern families and a deeper understanding of the economic realities” they face, court officials explained in an email.
The former child-support payment formula was determined by estimates of the percentage of household spending on food, which relied on family economic theories and consumer data from the 1970s. The state’s most recent pay schedule was established in 1989 and hasn’t changed until now.
The new formula is based how much parents reduce spending on themselves as the number of children in the family increases.
The updated model more accurately depicts child-rearing costs for Hoosier families, according to Lake County Judge Thomas Hallett, chair of the Indiana Judicial Conference Domestic Relations Committee that recommended the changes.
“The big difference is that this is what’s best for the kids,” he said.
The changes take effect on Jan. 1.
Under the new pay schedule, parents who makes $1,000 in combined weekly adjusted income will be required to pay $28 more a week, or $1,450 more a year, in support for one child. Weekly payments go down for low-income parents who earn less than $580 a week.
The new policy also does away with a requirement that up to 6% of child support be set aside for uninsured health costs. The court order notes this required burdensome record keeping and excessive use of judicial resources to enforce.
Now, uninsured health care expenses are considered add-ons to weekly support payments, with parents sharing the cost in proportion to their incomes.
Judges overseeing child support cases can consider outside circumstances that would lead to a lower weekly payment. The court order adds new examples of these circumstances, including if a parent is on a jail work-release program, but notes there are an “infinite number of situations” a judge may consider.
“It is impossible to imagine every possible situation which may affect the determination of child support and to prescribe a specific method of handling each of them,” the order notes. “Many creative suggestions will undoubtedly result.”
The updated guidelines also introduce a more precise method for calculating parenting time credit for different numbers of overnights with different children. Court officials said the change acknowledges the “intricate dynamics of modern families and ensures the child support system accurately accounts for these nuances.”
The federal government requires every state to reevaluate its child support policies every four years.
The changes made to Indiana’s policy came after 11 committee meetings over 18 months. The process involved research, case file evaluation, economic analysis, input from the state’s judicial and legal communities and feedback from the public, court officials explained.
Hallett, chair of the domestic relations committee, said the public comments and feedback they received were “generally positive.”
“I don’t think we had anybody who opposed any particular part of the new policy,” he said.
Source : Cleburne Times Review
