Essential Points to Know About Child Support in Hawaii

 Child support in Hawaii is a significant aspect that ensues right after a couple's divorce with a child. The Child Support Enforcement Agency, Hawai'i Family Court and the Office of Child Support Hearings look after the concerned matters. The state of Hawaii has strict rules and regulations regarding child support and how it must be paid. We shall discover and discuss all the aspects in the course of our article today.

What is Child Support?

After divorce, partners must decide the custody of their child. The payment made to the parent who has control of the child by the other partner is called child support. The laws about it differ from one place to another. While some countries stipulate that only fathers are legally bound to pay child support, elsewhere, any working parent(s) must contribute to child support. The parent that makes the payment is called the payor, while the one who receives it is called the payee. In the case of extensive visitation or joint custody, the arrangement differs.

Hawaiian Child Support Guidelines 

 

According to the Hawaii Child Custody law, both parents are bound to support the child financially. However, the guidelines can be modified and enforced if there is an exception by the regulatory bodies. The guidelines consider the parents' income and their ability to pay along with the child's needs. The basic principles that decide the guidelines are:

Each parent can keep sufficient income for themselves to cater to their basic needs and have an economically smooth standard of living.

The child's fundamental requirements have to be met before the parents can keep any additional income.

The basic requirements of a child include the child's health insurance and the cost of child care.

After the basic needs of the parents and the child are met, the child is entitled to have a share in the remaining income of the parent. It ensures that the child can access a higher standard of living.

How Much Does Child Support Add up to in Hawaii?

There is no fixed amount of how much child support Hawaii will add up for. It depends on the parents' income. Child support is never stipulated in a fixed amount for all. There is a formula for it. In the case of Hawai, this formula considers the parents' gross income, the cost of child care, and medical insurance. If one party is entitled to receive alimony from the other party, this aspect shall also be considered. 

Similar Link: Uncontested Divorce in Hawaii: A Practical Guide to Facts and Processing!

However, the minimum child support is $83 per month per child. 

The court can lower this amount only under some legitimate grave grounds and exceptional circumstances.

However, rent payments, mortgages, living expenses, and loans will not be considered when lowering the child support amount.

Although the amount is meant for the child, it is paid to the payee. But that does not imply the payee can decline the amount at any cost without moving to the court.

Joint Custody and Extensive Visitation

Joint custody occurs in the case of equal time sharing. Both parents should be investing the same or roughly the same amount of time, and each will pay the other and offset the two accounts. Joint custody is, however, very rare. Generally, only one parent takes full custody of the child with a visiting parent. If you are looking for joint custody, you must speak to your child custody attorney Hawaii and get a similar arrangement.

How Long Should Child Support Be Paid?

Parents are entitled to pay child support until the ward reaches the age of eighteen or twenty-three if they pursue higher education in a university. The court can order parents to pay for full-time education or vocational training for the child even after they have reached adult age. There are also special clauses that dictate parents to provide support past the age of 23 years.

Hawaii values the education and maintenance of children from broken families. The laws are so laid that it allows them to enjoy financial privileges from both the parents. The regulations also ensure that they are entitled to a fair share of property a parent has. However, one must always appoint a good lawyer before blindly accepting demands and scrutinizing the call wisely and strictly on legal grounds.