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Does a stepparent’s income impact child support?

If you have to pay child support in Virginia, a big part of how much you pay just comes back to how much you make. The numbers aren't going to be the same for someone making $20,000 a year as they will be for someone making $200,000 per year. However, what if you remarry? Does the stepparent's income then count as your income, as a household?

For example, you may be earning $40,000 a year, and your child support order may reflect that. If you then get married to someone who makes $100,000 a year, your household income is going to more than double. Do you then have to have the order modified to pay more in child support because of this higher level of income?

To keep things simple, the shortest answer is that you definitely do not have to modify the order. The money that a stepparent brings in does not have to go to support a child that was born to you and another person. That matter is simply between you and your ex.

It is possible that your ex will not feel that this is fair. You could be living well above the means that are addressed when paying out child support. You may even marry someone who makes enough that you don't really have to work anymore. However, your ex is not supposed to look at your total household income, but just at the amount that you make on an individual level.

While setting up or modifying a child support order, be sure you know exactly what factors are to be considered.

Source: Huffington Post, "New Spouse Income and Child Support in California," Mark Baer, accessed July 02, 2015

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