How to Calculate Michigan Child Support

To calculate Michigan Child Support, you need a child support calculator, a knowledge of the Rules for calculating support, and accurate information upon which to make the support calculation.

Child Support Calculators

• You either need someone with a calculator to run your support calculation for you, or you need your own support calculator. 
• In some circumstances, the Friend of the Court will calculate support for you.  When to use the Friend of the Court.
• It may make sense to have an attorney do the support calculation for you.  When to use an attorney.
• You may purchase your own support calculator.
  • Caution:  The support calculators assume you know the Rules.  If you don't know the Rules, you may enter the wrong information into the calculator, and wind up with the wrong result.  Remember:  garbage in, garbage out.
  • The MarginSoft calculator.
  • The Springfield calculator.

Child Support Rules

In setting child support, the Court must follow the Rules in the Michigan Child Support Formula Manual, also called the Michigan Child Support Guidelines.  The Rules control what information gets entered into the Child Support Calculator.  If you don't know the Rules, you may not correctly count income, deductions and credits.  The Rules for calculating child support are not the same Rules you follow in doing your income tax.  Look up the Rules in the 2008 Michigan Child Support Formula Manual and the 2008 Michigan Child Support Formula Supplement.

Gather the Right Information  

An accurate support calculation depends on accurate and complete information, which in turn depends on knowledge of the Rules when you gather information.  If you give the Friend of the Court or your attorney the wrong or incomplete information, or run your own calculation with the wrong information, you will not have an accurate child support calculation.

Before you start, I recommend that you have, for each parent:  current income, from a recent wage stub or income tax returns; cost of health insurance coverage, for the parents and for the child (to calculate the child's portion of the health insurance coverage), and cost of child care expenses, if any.  Other specific information will be required.  Review the Rules for information which may apply to your situation.

A Word of Caution

Learning how to do your own child support calculation is not a very efficient use of time: it is a lot easier to have a lawyer who already knows the law and has a child support calculator do it for you.  It is easy to make mistakes without realizing you are doing so.  On the other hand, many persons are entitled to child support modifications, but do not proceed because of the attorney fee expense involved.  Just remember that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."  (Alexander Pope, 1709.) When you act as your own lawyer, you assume the responsibility for following the rules of the Court -- even when you don't know what the rules are, don't understand them, or don't even realize that there was a rule you were supposed to be following.  You are also solely responsible for the results.  When in doubt or you can afford to do so, let a lawyer help you.  

If you need assistance for a Kent County case, you may call me for an appointment:  (616) 647-2200.