How is child support determined in Iowa?
Under Iowa law, both parents have a duty to provide adequate support for their minor children. Courts use the Iowa Child Support Guidelines to calculate the amount of child support that will be paid. The purpose of the support guidelines is to provide for the best interests of the children.
Can we agree to lower child support?
The guidelines are mandatory to calculate child support in Iowa. This means parents generally cannot agree to waive child support. Some unique circumstances may allow for a deviation from the guidelines amount when necessary to provide for the children or to do justice between the parents. However, deviations from the guideline amount are discouraged and a request for a deviation will be carefully scrutinized by the court. In general, the parent who wants to reduce child support will need to provide in other ways for the child. For example, paying for other expenses, providing the transportation if the parents live far apart, or a parenting schedule that provides more “overnights” to that parent.
How is support calculated?
The main factor determining the amount of child support is the income of the parents.
To determine net monthly income, the court will first determine gross monthly income of each parent. The court will use the most reliable evidence provided by the parties to determine each parent’s income. Public assistance payments, the earned income tax credit, and child support payments are not included in gross monthly income.
The court will include compensation such as overtime pay, incentive pay, and bonuses if it is regularly receeived. Other examples of compensation the court will consider include military housing allowance, annual tribal benefits, and social security benefits of a dependent. Any alimony between the parties will be taken out of the paying parent’s gross income and added to the gross income of the receiving parent.
Because an income determination is forward looking, if a parent’s income fluctuates, the court may average income over a previous time period to best estimate future income and calculate child support. If a parent voluntarily reduces their income, the court may refuse to lower the amount of child support and instead calculate child support based on earning capacity.
Beyond income, other factors that will impact child support include the number of children who need support, the parenting schedule (i.e., how many nights each parent will have the children each year), and the cost of childcare. Other deductions in child support provided in the guidelines include union dues, mandatory occupational license fees, mandatory pension, dependent health insurance, prior child or spousal support obligations, and other children who are dependents.
The court must also address medical support. Medical support includes health expenses such as medical, dental, or prescriptions. The court will either order a parent to provide health insurance for the child if available at a reasonable cost. If the child is insured by the state (Medicaid), the paying parent will pay additional cash medical support for that coverage.
If you would like an estimate of what child support will be, we can walk you through the process and calculations with a paid consultation.
If you need assistance in a case involving Iowa child support, give Miller & Evans a call at (515) 809-9699.