Pennsylvania’s New Child Support Guidelines Go into Effect

Pennsylvania’s new child support laws went into effect on May 12, 2010. The most important change under the new guidelines, according to a Main Line Media News report, is how child support will be calculated in high-income cases. Examples of such cases involve parties whose combined net monthly incomes are higher than $20,000 or $30,000.

However, it must be noted that the Monthly Basic Child Support Schedule has been changed at all income levels. This is essentially a chart that determines the basic amount of child support derived from the parents’ combined monthly net incomes and number of children. It is going to be tough to predict whether the new guidelines will result in the increase or decrease of child support.

These are complex calculations and what a parent owes may depend on his or her individual case. It would be in the best interest of parents faced with a child support dispute to consult a family law attorney in order to determine what the specific impacts will be for their family.