What Is Child Support

Full Video Transcript

Payment of child support is considered to be in the best interest of a child when the parents of the child are not living together. This is also known as child maintenance. Generally, a monthly payment is paid by the parent without custody to the parent with custody. This monthly payment goes toward the child’s care in order to ensure that the child’s reasonable needs are met, and to protect the child’s standard of living. Child support requirements vary on a state-by-state basis. When deciding child support amounts, each state has rules that are applied to determine the financial amount of the award. Factors such how many children are involved, the income of each parent, and each parent’s earning potential are considered.