How much do you pay child support?

Oilspreader2025 · 2026-05-12T19:09:57+00:00

Hey guys , I pay 1825 month… I am at the end of my journey with child support. 31 years of support. I have been paying since I was 18 years old. Fuck it’s been hard as hell. I was a dumb ass having kids irresponsibly. I take full responsibility for my half !
My last son graduates this month. 1800 a month for one kid and he won’t even return a texts message. That’s ok too!
My new journey starts June first. I owe 62000 thousand in principal and with the interest it’s about 130000k…
Fuck that !!!! You guys have any suggestions on how to go about paying that off…. I have offered a settlement of 36000k , she never even called back. FML…

Crypto_Mahdi · 2026-03-28T13:36:04+00:00

$0, i challenged the legitimacy of the order and won. However I do actively participate in my child’s life physically, monetarily, and spiritually. I did not mind paying but I did mind participating in fraud

SwimmingOk7595 · 2026-02-18T18:14:15+00:00

$1250/month

Separate_Patient_524 · 2026-02-16T05:26:05+00:00

$142/wk, to a multimillionaire ex spouse who makes over $300k a year, for one kid. I make $120k/yr. Kid is with me about 20% of the year.

rosatj44 · 2026-02-06T16:55:48+00:00

$200 a week is rookie numbers!!!!!

sillytome · 2025-09-06T06:00:09+00:00

860 ks

Slowclimberboi · 2025-08-08T14:30:51+00:00

$778. Tennessee.

One child. This amount was set 4 years ago and I was making double my ex.

Since then I have married and had another child, but my ex has been unemployed “freelancing” for the last year after leaving a $65k job. We’re going through custody proceedings again after her decisions. I make more than double what she made then and I’m terrified what’s about to happen with child support.

IcyEntertainment8673 · 2025-08-08T12:42:38+00:00

You can settle on an amount, if you’re still in the process of divorce. (GA)

engineered-chemistry · 2025-08-07T15:40:23+00:00

Google your state law. It’s a table and a formula, or settle on something different. Many states, it’s always modifiable for a “material change” or circumstances which is pretty broad.

alw5555 · 2025-08-06T16:07:38+00:00

My partner and I have his daughter 40%-48% of the time. Since it’s not quite 50/50 he is considered a 2/3s parent. He pays his ex $300 a week for one child in addition to providing health insurance and splitting all medical expenses and extracurriculars 50/50. She recently reached out asking him to tell her what his current income was so she can put the numbers into the formula because she ‘needs’ more money. This was her idea as she wants to save him in lawyer fees. Such a gem!

Squidgy68 · 2025-08-06T14:46:11+00:00

In the UK I'm paying £300 a month towards one child

Advanced-Sink-7806 · 2025-08-06T12:35:15+00:00

$400 base rate, $480 until some $9K on back child support is paid off. For a year she kept our kid from me while I was doing everything I could to try to effect 50/50, and she gets to get paid for it..

Child support is calculated by the difference in your incomes. If you make more, that difference increases, as does CS. Your state should have a calculator online you can punch numbers into.

4st4rt3s-c4ptn · 2025-08-06T11:22:30+00:00

$400/mo, after factoring in $2,800/mo in alimony.

wolfalone1 · 2025-08-06T07:41:09+00:00

Whether it's bad or not depends on your income. If you earn 10 times that, it's one thing. If $200 per week was all you were able to put aside after paying the bills, it's another.

I pay zero child support, my ex earns slightly more than I do and we do 50/50 parenting.

Nefarious_Villan · 2025-08-06T04:54:44+00:00

I pay $1500 a month for two kids plus a bunch of other stuff that seems to always always come up (clothes, extracurriculars, etc) so ends up being over $2K per month on a yearly basis. Only reason I complain in silence is because it’s not through the system and I know the fked up system would probably have me paying a lot more since I make $150K and mom doesn’t make much. Kids are teenagers now and I only see them a few times a year since they moved away 10+ years ago so not very much of a relationship has ever been made. Just want this part of my life over with. I’ve done my part supporting two kids sprung on me by a mentally ill woman.

Wild_Egg_7911 · 2025-08-06T03:57:38+00:00

$550 monthly ($200 more than I should due to my lazy lawyer’s mistake) in CA

AddictedToThat · 2025-08-06T03:21:15+00:00

I make a relatively high amount annually. CS is $3,500 for my one child still under 18. Spousal support is enough to power four households. And…my life is better for it.

khaddir_1 · 2025-08-06T03:02:46+00:00

If you make a lot, check the state law to see what the calculation could look like. In Florida you pay like $1300 up to $10,000 income then 5% on the remaining. When I looked at divorce I make 22k a month so 1300 plus 5% of 12k. Hope this made sense

Additional-Run1610 · 2025-08-06T02:39:31+00:00

236 a week for two kiddos.I have a bank issue and send a check at no charge every week I dont even think about it honestly.

Grouchy_Land895 · 2025-08-06T01:34:12+00:00

$1,500 per child a month. I now only have one minor.

mcj270 · 2025-08-06T01:00:48+00:00

440 a week. It’s crushing me

CRobinsFly · 2025-08-06T00:26:16+00:00

Your child support will go up if you get a substantial promotion - typically 20% - as it constitutes a change of circumstances.

I'm high income. Ahem, court thinks my income is 140k/yr, same as her mother. I pay 1.5k/mo for 1 child. I have 27% overnights. Should have 35% and am actively suing for contempt, parenting plan is supposed to get me to 5050. At equal timesharing my ex is under the belief that my CS will drop to zero or go negative (they used income numbers from when I was living 1kmi away, I clearly dont work those jobs anymore). Whenever I am given the chance to say it: "I'm broke, possibly unemployed soon"

graphic_fartist · 2025-08-05T23:50:13+00:00

I negotiated to ZERO. I had at one point I had like 800/900, then she ended up owing me like 200 a month, then I was able to negotiate to ZERO.

Agile_Librarian_5130 · 2025-08-05T23:44:40+00:00

900/month GA

Irishjedi52 · 2025-08-05T23:06:23+00:00

I did pay $1600/month for my two girls. That hurt. They are 25 and 28 now. Luckily no alimony.

crayzeejew · 2025-08-05T22:13:31+00:00

Divorce mediator here, giving a brief overview of child support guidelines of the various states I have mediated agreements in or consulted with.

Most states use calculators or formulas to determine child support. You can search online in your state and verify if the numbers your attorney is telling you seem correct. Child support is generally income-dependent, and some states have caps (on the parents' combined income) that can affect the numbers.

According to the discretion of the judge, there is an option in some states to remove the cap. Others (for example, Texas) cap child support at a maximum amount.

Elon Musk, for example, spent a significant amount of money to keep his child support case in Texas since there is a maximum cap there compared to California, where it's more of a discretionary matter (he pays $2760/m for 3 children).

Also, there are standard reasons for modifying a child support order.

One of those reasons is a change in income over a specific percentage (varies by state) for either parent. So, a raise of 15%-20% or higher can potentially cause a revisit for child support, just as a reduction can potentially lower your child support award amount.

If three years have passed since the last child support award, that is another reason (this is actually based on a federal mandate). Both of these reasons are waivable in an agreement between the parties.

The third reason to revisit child support is a substantial change of circumstances. This option is not waivable in all states.

Hope this explanation helps!

MutedLocal33 · 2025-08-05T22:08:48+00:00

4k a month between CS and SS

AdditionalArt8638 · 2025-08-05T21:52:27+00:00

I make 200-250k a year and pay 718 a month (2 minor). This is driven by the state and largely her salary as well. 0 spousal support. My wife was very generous all things considered.

yeldellmedia · 2025-08-05T21:42:10+00:00

5 dollars a week, 2 daughters, 50/50 custody

2025-08-05T21:25:22+00:00

I pay $1000 a month for my two sons, and $2900 a month in Alimony. It hurts

Little_Inflation7203 · 2025-08-05T20:51:12+00:00

I currently pay $1,586.25 per month for one child (13) until he turns in 18 in Florida. I must provide dental, medical and vision insurance also. I have every other weekend visitation rights. I thought the judge was joking when she read her ruling, but she was not. Prior to my divorce, I thought we lived a comfortable life, but after my divorce, I struggle like everyone else. Good luck and know that we’re all rooting for guy!

Nyoobwsb · 2025-08-05T20:50:42+00:00

200 is not bad at all. i pay $1000

TenOfZero · 2025-08-05T20:15:35+00:00

Really depends what country you are in, and even sate to sate, Queensland doesn't have the same rules for this as new south whales, as an example.

Paddle_Pedal_Puddle · 2025-08-05T19:40:52+00:00

CS varies from jurisdictions to jurisdiction and usually is a defined amount that you can determine with an online calculator or spreadsheet.

In my jurisdiction, you can’t even apply for a modification of CS based on income changes unless the CS amount changes by at least 15% in either direction. Your state is probably different.

I pay $2,100 a month, so it could be worse.

itoocouldbeanyone · 2025-08-05T19:25:33+00:00

We make close to the same, 50/50 and she covers health insurance. Under $200 a month.

Reflog1791 · 2025-08-05T18:17:05+00:00

I pay same but it’s paid in full once a month.

Some state agencies automatically revisit it or will revisit it upon request.

I was making $100k plus stocks. My ex was making $40k. I split the stocks so they wouldn’t count as income.

Now I make a little more and no idea if ex got raises.

What I do is not talk to her and if she asks for money I say I’m broke as a joke. I pay for extracurriculars that I put kid in. When she asks for a reimbursement I say great just send me the $400 from summer camp or deduct it from stock payout.

So I give her no reason to recalculate me ever. Too much hassle and time and I was at the state guideline and am probably still very close.

I found CS to be a gigantic discount over her spending out of my joint account so this issue doesn’t bother me. It’s still a scam but your state representatives aren’t gonna burn the midnight oil to do anything about it.

Zealousideal_Rub5826 · 2025-08-05T18:07:31+00:00

Your lawyer would know a lot better than reddidiots.

It's not a fixed number, like $200 a week for everyone. It varies with a lot of things. Your income, her income, number of kids, etc.

My jurisdiction uses an excel spreadsheet that you can freely download, but the instructions are unclear so I will either being paying $480/mo or $1100/mo

So if your lawyer gave you a number, it's probably really close to that.

Title	How much do you pay child support?
Author	Zealousideal_Rub5826
Upvotes	18
Comments	72
Date	August 5, 2025 5:38 PM UTC (11 months ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/1mifsq6/how_much_do_you_pay_child_support/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/how-much-do-you-pay-child-support.1558948 https://theredarchive.com/post/1558948

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