Rule 88.01(a) and Child Support Amount Factors:
Rule 88.01(a) reads as follows: “When determining the correct amount of child support, a court or administrative agency shall consider all relevant factors, including all relevant statutory factors.”
Section 452.340.1, RSMo, lists six statutory factors that may be considered in whether to deviate from the Form 14 amount as follows:
(1) The financial needs and resources of the child;
(2) The financial resources and needs of the parents;
(3) The standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved;
(4) The physical and emotional condition of the child, and the child’s educational needs;
(5) The child’s physical and legal custody arrangements, including the amount of time the child spends with each parent and the reasonable expenses associated with the custody or visitation arrangements; and
(6) The reasonable work-related child care expenses of each parent.
Of course, the court is able to consider all relevant factors because the award of of child support is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court.
Other Factors to Consider in Child Support:
· whether a child receives income that is not based on the child’s special needs;
· whether a parent has significant extraordinary medical expenses;
· whether the parties’ combined monthly gross income exceeds $30,000 per month or the number of children exceeds six;
· whether the parent obligated to pay support incurs significant or unusual travel expenses in connection with the parent’s overnight parenting time; and
· whether the combined child support amount calculated from the combined income of the parties is greater than the presumed
child support amount calculated from only the income of the parent obligated to pay support.