ABA Family Legal Guide

Family Law

3.4 Separation, Annulment, and Divorce

Child Support

What are reasons for ordering more support than the guideline amount?

This depends, in part, on what expenses the guidelines include. Some common reasons for giving support above the base guideline amount include childcare expenses, high medical or dental expenses of the child that are not covered by insurance, and voluntary unemployment or underemployment of the parent who is supposed to pay support. Expenses for summer camps and private schools also might be a basis for setting higher support levels, particularly if private schools or summer camps were part of the family's lifestyle during the marriage.