When the parents of a minor child divorce or are no longer living together—or were never married—child support is the amount of money the court orders a parent who does not have primary custody of the child (the noncustodial parent) pay to the parent who does have primary custody (the custodial parent).

In some states the parents may be designated joint managing conservators of the child (joint custody), but one parent is given the right to choose the primary residence of the child, within a geographic area. The parent with this right to choose the child’s primary residence is usually entitled to receive child support payments.

The Office of the Attorney General in your state generally enforces the payment of court-ordered child support. Child support payments generally may be made by direct payment from one parent to the other, or through wage withholding by the employer of the parent who owes child support (the obligor). One advantage to payment by wage withholding is the built-in recordkeeping in the system.

In Idaho, child support is a financial obligation imposed by the court on the noncustodial parent to contribute to the expenses of raising their child. This obligation arises when parents divorce, separate, or if they were never married. Idaho law follows the Income Shares Model for determining child support, which considers the income of both parents and the amount of time each parent spends with the child. The Idaho Child Support Guidelines are used to calculate the appropriate amount of support. Even in cases of joint custody, the parent who has the primary physical custody (the custodial parent) is typically entitled to receive child support from the other parent (the noncustodial parent). The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Child Support Services enforces child support orders, and payments can be made directly between parents or through wage withholding from the noncustodial parent's employer. Wage withholding offers the benefit of automatic recordkeeping and helps ensure consistent payment of child support.