How Is Child Support Determined in Cincinnati?

Child support in Ohio is determined based upon a statute in the Ohio Revised Code. Unlike spousal support, where the Ohio statute does not set forth a formula or worksheet for calculating the amount of spousal support, the Ohio child support statute does include a worksheet/formula that is to be used in calculating a precise amount of child support that is presumed to be in the best interest of the children. This requires that the income of both spouses be “plugged in” to the formula, along with other specific information and expenses, including the amount of the health insurance premium paid by the spouse who is providing health insurance for the children; whether either spouse has minor children not born issue of the marriage to the parent to whom the spouse is currently married; any work-related childcare expenses that may be incurred; and the number of overnights the parent paying child support spends with the minor children. As I stated above, there is a presumption that the amount of child support reflected by the statutory mandated Child Support Worksheet is the amount of child support that should be paid in consideration of the best interest of the minor children. Nevertheless, the statute does permit the Court to deviate from that sum based upon a variety of different potential factors that may exist in a particular case.