Use this Connecticut child support law to learn about
your child support rights and responsibilites.
How is Connecticut child support determined?
In Connecticut, either parent may be ordered to provide child
support based on the following factors:
- the financial resources of the child
- the occupation and earning capacity of each parent
- the amount and sources of income for each parent
- the age and health of the child
- the estate and needs of the child
- the relative financial needs of the parents
Connecticut has official child support guidelines that outline
the amounts to be paid that are based on a percentage of the income of the
paying parent. These guidelines, which are assumed to be in the best interests
of the child, will be followed unless the parents have agreed to an amount of
child support considered fair and reasonable by the court – generally at
least equal to the amount calculated by using the state guidelines.
The following percentages of net income are a general basis
used in the Connecticut state child support guidelines.
- one child 20%
- two children 25%
- three children 30 %
- four children 35%
- five children 40%
- six children 45%
The court may deviate from these guidelines if the court
believes it is in the best interest of the child to do so.
At what age does child support payments end?
If there is an unmarried child that’s reached 18, is a
full-time high school student and lives with one of the parents, the parents
will maintain their respective support if the child needs it, until the child
completes the twelfth grade or reaches 19 years of age, whichever comes first.
If the child becomes emancipated, the obligation to pay support ends.
Connecticut's custody guidelines:
Joint or sole custody may be awarded by the Connecticut courts
based on the best interests of the child and the following factors:
- the reason for divorce if it’s relevant to the best
interests of the child
- the wishes of the child if the child is capable of forming an
intelligent choice and is of reasonable age
- whether the party or parties satisfactorily completed the
parenting education program as required by the court
Connecticut family law presumes that joint custody is the
preferred form of custody if both parents have agreed to it.
Connecticut's medical insurance guidelines:
Generally, the decision as to which parent is going to provide
medical insurance coverage for the child and how medical bills will be paid is
set out in the marital settlement agreement of the divorcing parents. If
it’s not, in Connecticut, either parent may be ordered by the court to
provide medical insurance for the child. But generally, if a reasonable medical
insurance plan is available through a parent’s employment, they are
required to cover their child on it.
How permanent are the provisions for Connecticut child
support and custody ?
As in most states, court orders providing for support and
custody of children are subject to change or modification to reflect changes in
income, and/or living arrangements of the children and the child's special
needs.
Wage garnishment for child support payments:
Yes. Almost every state, including Connecticut, has a provision
for withholding child support directly from the earnings of the parent who has
been ordered to provide support. It is withheld much like income tax is
withheld from earnings payments.
Once the support is withheld, it is then sent to the state
agency authorized to receive and disburse payments. Once it has been verified
that the support was paid, it is then sent to the parent designated to receive
the support.
If a non-custodial parent can show that they are providing more
than 50 percent of the support for dependents not included in the court order
from a second marriage, and is not in arrears, no more than 50% of their
disposable income can be attached if they cannot pay the full court-ordered
amount of both orders.
That number goes to 55% if the non-custodial parent is in
arrears, 60 percent for a person only providing support to dependents under the
current order, and 65% for a person who is in arrears and paying only on the
current order.
How does joint custody work?
There has been a nationwide movement encouraging parents to
work together for the best interests of their children. Joint custody is now
widely recognized by parents, courts and state legislatures as the preferred
parenting plan for divorcing parents.
In Connecticut, joint custody is presumed to be the form of
custody that’s in the best interests of the child, if both parents have
agreed to it.
Specifically, joint custody is a form of custody of minor
children that requires both parents to share the responsibilities of the
children, and for both parents to approve all major decisions related to the
children.
While it is a 50-50 sharing of responsibilities and major
decisions affecting the children, it rarely works out to be a 50-50 sharing of
time with the children. Usually one parent is named as the residential
custodian and the other parent is granted visitation. The residential custodian
typically retains the decision making power to determine the child’s
primary residence and to designate things such as the child’s primary
physician unless there is an objection from the other joint custodian.
How Connecticut determines child visitation:
Generally, parents are free to visit with their children at all
times that are mutually agreed to by both parents. However, when parents cannot
agree, the court will set visitation which is usually a combination of both
parents' wishes.
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