Impact of Child Support Guidelines on the Economic Well-Being of Children

Abstract

A sample of 492 court case records in one state was used to critique three policy goals of quantitative child support guidelines. Child support awards deviated downward from the guidelines particularly at higher income levels of obligors and upward from the guidelines at lower income levels. The court-ordered awards met 58% of the children's income needs represented by poverty level incomes. Custodial parents contributed higher proportional shares of money income to children than noncustodial parents, based on income equivalence methodology.