When dealing with Child support in a divorce, what are employment related education costs?
My divorce, under the child support paragraph, it states that the Respondent (my Ex) shall be eligible for such reimbursement by the Petitioner (me) when such costs are related to the employment, search for employment, or employment related education of the Respondent.
What does this mean?
Wow, I can’t believe that’s listed under child support, because at first it sounded like spousal support. You might want to ask your lawyer to spell out exactly what types of bills are eligible for reimbursement, so that you don’t get stuck with unexpected bills. I suspect that you could get stuck with her college tuition bills if it’s not worded precisely.
My guess would be that related costs specifically means daycare for the child while the wife is employed or seeking education (either training or a college education) in order to obtain employment. However, as I said, tell your lawyer to spell out that your ex-wife would only be eligible for reimbursement for /daycare expenses/ related to employment, search for employment, or employment related education. Simply stating that she is eligible for reimbursement for any types of costs related to employment is far too broad, and I can’t think of any other cost for which you should be held liable, except for daycare expenses, in the child support section, so why not just say daycare expenses and dispense with the unnecessary ambiguity?
Keep in mind, you are supposed to pay a percentage of daycare expenses based on your relative incomes, so be careful that you don’t agree to pay 100% of daycare expenses in perpetuity. Even if she’s unemployed now, she will eventually find employment, and your agreement should allow for an adjustment of the percentage of daycare expenses you pay when the time comes that her income changes.
Wow, I can’t believe that’s listed under child support, because at first it sounded like spousal support. You might want to ask your lawyer to spell out exactly what types of bills are eligible for reimbursement, so that you don’t get stuck with unexpected bills. I suspect that you could get stuck with her college tuition bills if it’s not worded precisely.
My guess would be that related costs specifically means daycare for the child while the wife is employed or seeking education (either training or a college education) in order to obtain employment. However, as I said, tell your lawyer to spell out that your ex-wife would only be eligible for reimbursement for /daycare expenses/ related to employment, search for employment, or employment related education. Simply stating that she is eligible for reimbursement for any types of costs related to employment is far too broad, and I can’t think of any other cost for which you should be held liable, except for daycare expenses, in the child support section, so why not just say daycare expenses and dispense with the unnecessary ambiguity?
Keep in mind, you are supposed to pay a percentage of daycare expenses based on your relative incomes, so be careful that you don’t agree to pay 100% of daycare expenses in perpetuity. Even if she’s unemployed now, she will eventually find employment, and your agreement should allow for an adjustment of the percentage of daycare expenses you pay when the time comes that her income changes.
References :
The reason that this is added to the divorce decree is that it is in your interest for your ex to be gainfully employed. If she cannot obtain a job because she cannot afford childcare to search for a job, or needs to update her job skills after being out of the job market for an extended period, it will cost you more in the amount of support you will have to pay.
The important thing will be to make sure that any reimbursements are for money spent in the pursuit of acquiring gainful employment. If she is going back to college, she needs to have a specific degree and career in mind, instead of going to school to "find herself". And you should make sure that you are not stuck with the entire cost. Sharing the cost is reasonable. You will need to work with your attorney on this to make sure it isn’t abused.
You also need to make sure she actually gets a job after getting the training. If she goes and gets a degree on your dime, then decides she wants to work at McDonald’s just to keep you paying as much as possible, you need to request the court to impute to her an income commensurate to what she could make based on her training and education.
References :
The computation for child support is usually based on the amount allocated for the needs of the child — including health insurance, education, day care, and special needs.
Basically, the family court bases the amount of child support to the parent’s income and number of children. The court will also take into consideration other relevant factors, such as the custodial parent’s income and the needs of the children. The Court can also decide to increase or reduce the child support at given circumstances.
References :
http://www.divorceguide.com