Wiliams Divorce & Family Law Logo

NOT SURE IF WE CAN HELP?Request your free 30 minute consultOR CALL US AT 651-332-7650

  • Home
  • Our Staff
    • Attorney Gerald O. Williams
    • Paralegal Jocelyn Daul
  • Practice Areas
    • Alimony
    • Child Custody
    • Child Support
    • Collaborative Divorce
    • Divorce
    • International Custody
    • Interstate Custody
    • LGBTQIA+ Divorce & Custody
    • Mediation
  • Billing
    • Billing FAQ
    • Flat Fee Divorce
    • Flat Fee Mediation
  • Blog
  • Courts
    • Dakota County Family Courts
    • Hennepin County Family Court
    • Ramsey County Family Courts
    • Washington County Family Court
  • Clients
    • Make Payment
    • Secure File Upload
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Directions to Williams Divorce and Family Law
    • Privacy Policy

Child Support

Looking for a Minnesota child support attorney, or have questions about child support in Minnesota?  You have come to the right place.  Start here with answers to the questions our child support attorneys are most frequently asked, and if you still have questions when you are done, call or email us for an initial consult.

How is child support calculated in Minnesota?

Child SupportCurrently, a parent with whom a child primarily resides receives child support from the other parent based upon guidelines set forth in Minnesota law that consider the parents’ respective incomes. The court can set child support in accord with the guidelines, or exercise discretion to deviate upwards or downwards from the guidelines. If the parties share physical custody of the child – i.e., if the child’s residence is roughly equal time in each parent’s home – the guideline child support is likely to be lower, to reflect the fact that each parent is directly paying some of the child’s expenses during the times the child is residing with each parent. There was a change in child support law that came into effect in January 2007. The previous law had guidelines that mainly considered only the paying parent’s income, rather than both parents’ incomes. Some pre-existing child support cases are still governed by the old law.

If you would like to get some idea of what child support you might be entitled to, you can make use of the child support calculator provided by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Child Support Daycare CostsAre day care costs included in the child support I pay or receive?

Typically, day care costs are calculated separately.  In most cases, the child care costs are allocated between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes.  Before allocating the expense between the parents, the day care costs are reduced by estimated state and federal tax credits, so that only the net, after-tax child care costs are included in the calculation.

What about health insurance and health expenses?

Typically, the health insurance and health expense costs are handled separately from base child support.  The expense of the child’s health insurance premium is allocated between the parents, as are the uninsured medical, dental, orthodontic, optical and mental health expenses.

What is a child support magistrate?

A child support magistrate is a judicial officer who handles only child support cases.  In all Minnesota judicial districts, most hearings that involve only child support issues (as opposed to hearings that also involve child custody, parenting, or property issues) will be heard by a child support magistrate.  If the hearing involves other issues, the matter will be heard by the family court judge (or, in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, a family court judge or referee).

Contact Us

We conduct free consults via telephone or videoconferencing technology, e.g. Zoom.

  • We will send a confirmation to this email, so please be sure you are using a personal email address. If you do not have a personal email, please call us instead at 651-332-7650.
  • We need the other party's name because we are required do a conflict check to be sure the other party has not already consulted with our office.
  • Please type the letters you see into the box. This helps us to prevent spam so we can respond to you more quickly.

Copyright © 2023 Williams Divorce & Family Law All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy

The content of this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. To establish an attorney-client relationship with Williams Divorce & Family Law requires a retainer agreement signed by you and attorney Gerald O. Williams. Woodbury/St. Paul, Minnesota, attorney, Gerald O. Williams, represents clients in divorce and family law matters throughout the seven county metro area, including the communities of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Maplewood, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, and Stillwater. The seven county metro area includes Washington, Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota, Anoka, Scott, and Carver.

Is court in person? Court Covid Update