Most states have child support guidelines in their statutes—often in the statutes collected in the state’s family code. These child support guidelines provide percentages and methods of calculating child support payments based on the number of children; the parents’ incomes and financial resources; the income and needs of the custodial parent; the needs of the children, including any special needs; and the standard of living for the children before the parents’ divorce or separation. The child support guidelines are just guidelines, and the court generally has discretion to order more or less child support based on the best interest of the children.
In Indiana, child support guidelines are established by the Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines. These guidelines are designed to provide a fair, consistent, and equitable determination of child support obligations based on the financial resources and needs of the child, as well as the financial resources and needs of the custodial and non-custodial parents. The guidelines take into account factors such as the number of children, the income of both parents, the cost of healthcare and childcare, and the standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved. While these guidelines serve as a standard framework for determining child support, Indiana courts have the discretion to deviate from the guidelines when they find it would be in the best interest of the child. Such deviations may be based on the presence of additional children, special needs, educational costs, or other relevant considerations that affect the child's well-being.