Child Support With Shared Custody

[FredJones]

My question involves child support in the State of: NJ

My ex and I went to mediation on Tuesday. It was agreed upon that we both have joint legal and shared physical custody. She has 57 percent and I have 43 percent. I think the person did the wrong worksheet. She did the one that said my ex has sole custody. I said something that we agreed on shared and the child supportperson said she had no record of that. What do I do to fix this and how do I know how much child support to pay and when tostart paying it Thanks

[Dogmatique]

Do you have actual custody orders yet?

(Start paying as soon as you're told - you can generally have any over-payment credited afterwards if there has been a mistake in calculations, but it's never a good idea to go into arrears).

[FredJones]

I don't have the actal ppers yet. Just a copy. Was told it takes the judge 10 days to sign them. The papers from child support said they were going to send me coupons to mail in with my payments

[Dogmatique]

Okay, so did you show the officer a copy of the mediation agreement?

If not, wait until you get the actual papers and go down to CSE again. They should be able to fix it pretty quickly.

[FredJones]

Someone told me the reason it could have been marked that way is because she doesn't work and they did something called impudient income(or something like that) and because she is considered poverty I have to pay the difference. I don't know what difference that makes to me. She refuses to work so I have to pay for it. Seems kind of unfair

[Dogmatique]

She was imputed an income equal to at least full time minimum wage, probably.

But plug in the numbers. Go here and play around a little. See what the calculator spits out.

[FredJones]

I just went to the Quick Calculator and that's what it came out. They gave her an income of full time minimum wage and did the sole custody chart. It comes out to exactly to what I have to pay in support. If you do the shared custody its about half. Can it have anything to do with her being at the poverty line of why I have to pay more

[Dogmatique]

No, they should be using the shared custody model regardless.

I'd certainly be wanting to at least question this, Dad.

[FredJones]

I did question this and was told it was because she was under the poverty line, thats why the sole custody chart was used. What do I do to fix this. I have to pay more because she sits on her butt all day. Oh by the way she is going to welfare also.