Practice Area
Child Support
Arizona's child support guidelines are complex. We ensure calculations are accurate and that orders reflect your family's actual circumstances.
How Child Support Works in Arizona
Arizona uses an income shares model to calculate child support. The guidelines are designed to approximate the amount parents would have spent on their children if the family had remained intact, and to divide that obligation between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes.
The calculation takes into account both parents' gross incomes, the parenting time schedule, childcare costs, health insurance premiums, and certain other expenses. While the guidelines provide a formula, the inputs matter enormously — errors in income calculation or failure to account for all relevant expenses can result in a support order that is significantly too high or too low.
Child support is a right of the child, not the parent. It cannot be waived by agreement between the parents, and courts will not approve agreements that deviate significantly from the guidelines without a showing that the deviation is in the child's best interests.
01
Income Calculation
Gross income for child support purposes includes wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, investment income, and other sources. Determining income for a self-employed parent or a parent with variable compensation can be particularly complex.
Arizona courts can also impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed — that is, attribute income to that parent based on their earning capacity rather than their actual earnings. We have experience addressing imputed income issues in both directions.
02
Deviations from the Guidelines
Courts can deviate from the child support guidelines when the standard calculation would be unjust or inappropriate given the family's circumstances. Grounds for deviation include extraordinary medical expenses, special educational needs, the child's own income or assets, and other factors.
We represent clients seeking deviations from the guidelines as well as those opposing them, with a clear-eyed assessment of what courts are likely to approve.
03
Modification of Child Support
Child support orders can be modified when there is a substantial and continuing change in circumstances — typically a significant change in either parent's income or a change in the parenting time schedule. Either parent can seek a modification.
We represent clients in both seeking and opposing modifications, with attention to the timing and documentation needed to support the requested change.
04
Enforcement of Child Support
When a parent fails to pay court-ordered child support, Arizona courts have a range of enforcement tools available, including wage garnishment, liens on property, suspension of driver's and professional licenses, and contempt of court proceedings.
We move quickly on enforcement matters because unpaid support causes real harm to children and families. If support is not being paid as ordered, contact us promptly.
Questions About Child Support?
Whether you are establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support order, we can help. Contact the Law Office of Katherine Kraus, PLLC to discuss your situation.
Or call directly
(623) 566-4500