Dawn of New Child Support Guidelines in Georgia

When the Georgia legislature first proposed new guidelines in 2005, they were to go into effect in July 2006. When they met in 2006, and passed Senate Bill 382, they delayed the effective date until January 1, 2007. Some of the 2005 bill’s more controversial provisions on visitation adjustments to child support (so-called parenting time adjustments) and automatic modification rights were eliminated in the final 2006 law. However, the law still provides that if there has been a substantial change in the financial conditions of either of the parties or the children since the date of the prior order, there may be a right to modify and the guidelines to be applied in cases pending on or after January 1, 2007, are the new guidelines described below.
Overview of Calculation of Child Support Under New Georgia Guidelines
Generally speaking, the steps are as follows:
1. Determine monthly Gross Income of each parent
2. Find Adjusted Gross Income by deducting (if applicable)
½ of self-employment taxes
Pre-existing orders for child support for other children
Theoretical child support order for other qualified children, if allowed by the Court
3. Add each parent’s adjusted gross income together to compute Combined Adjusted Income
4. Find the Basic Child Support Obligation on the statutory table
5. Find the pro rata share of Basic Child Support Obligation for each parent by dividing each parent’s adjusted income by the combined adjusted income
6. Find Adjusted Child Support Obligation amount for each parent
Prorate costs of health insurance (child’s portion)
Prorate costs of work related child care costs
Add prorated shares of those expenses to the prorated share of the Basic Child Support Obligation
7. Find the Presumptive Amount of Child Support by assigning or deducting each parent’s actual payments for health insurance (child’s portion) and work related child care costs
8. Apply any applicable Deviations to increase or decrease the presumptive amount of child support
9. Determine the Final Child Support Order
10. Allocate Uninsured Healthcare Expenses
Downloadable and online calculators are available at the Office of Child Support Services website. More information is also avail;able at the Georgia Child Support Commission's website.