What Parents Should Know About Child Support in Shared Custody Arrangements?

When both parents share custody fairly evenly, child support works in a completely different way than traditional arrangements. Instead of one parent paying support while the other receives it, the courts look at both parents’ incomes. 

This setup means support payments might be much lower, could disappear entirely, or might flow from the parent earning more to the parent earning less. Getting a handle on how this system operates is critical because your family’s finances depend on getting the numbers right from the start.

What Parents Should Know?

South Carolina is a well-known U.S. state with clearly defined family law standards. Here, child support laws are very strict. Shared custody arrangements require a clearer picture of how South Carolina child support laws change when parenting time is divided.

Child Support Differs in Shared Custody

Both households have expenses for the child when parents split time fairly equally, and courts recognize this reality. Rather than one parent writing checks while the other sits back, the calculations actually measure each parent’s income and the real parenting time each one provides. 

This changes the outcome significantly. Each state has its own rules about how these calculations work, which is why child support laws in South Carolina operate somewhat differently.

South Carolina’s Approach to Shared Custody Support

South Carolina takes shared custody seriously and adjusts support calculations when parents split time equally or close to it. The state uses a formula based on what both parents earn, not just the higher earner. 

If parents share custody equally or nearly equally, the court looks at each parent’s income and adjusts the basic support obligation based on that gap. The child’s actual living expenses across both homes also get factored into the final number. 

Income Calculations Matter More Than Ever

What each parent actually earns becomes the foundation for any support calculation the court makes. The court includes wages, paychecks, self-employment income, and sometimes investment returns. 

A parent making significantly more money than the other parent can still end up owing support even when custody is split 50/50. The income gap between parents, not the custody split by itself, determines whether money needs to change hands between households. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 16% of custodial parents actually receive child support payments.

Parenting Time Percentages Impact the Numbers

Courts dig into exactly how many days and nights the child spends in each parent’s house to adjust support payments. Most states set parenting time thresholds that trigger different ways of calculating support. 

If one parent has the child less than this threshold percentage, they may owe regular child support, but once you go above it, the whole calculation changes. The exact percentage matters a lot. 

Additional Expenses Beyond Base Support

Healthcare costs, school tuition, sports and activities, and childcare costs lie on top of base support in most cases. Some states require both parents to split these costs based on how much they earn. The other states handle them in a completely separate way. 

Courts in shared custody cases often write out specific rules about who pays for what beyond the basic monthly support amount. Note that paying for healthcare and education costs that aren’t covered by insurance keeps climbing.

Dealing with Changes

Note that either parent can ask the court to change the support amount when changes happen in their lives. Courts don’t change support for small financial differences. However, they will revisit when something major shifts in circumstances. 

Conclusion

Shared custody arrangements create a balanced system. Learning your state’s specific rules and knowing when you can ask for changes helps parents handle these obligations the right way. Children benefit from a stable financial situation when both parents meet their obligations consistently.