The SC Child Support Calculator Explained - How Does It Work?

Separating from your child's other biological parent is difficult and scary. Depending on the state, navigating child support payments can also be difficult, not to mention confusing.

If you have unanswered questions about paying child support in South Carolina, keep reading to find out everything you need to know, including how the and DoNotPay can help.

About the South Carolina Department of Social Services

The South Carolina Department of Social Services is responsible for making sure that child support gets paid in the state of South Carolina. Specifically, the Child Support Services Division within the SCDSS can help you if you have any questions about getting back child support.

How is Child Support Calculated in South Carolina?

Several factors affect how much a parent has to pay for , including:

How many children are in the home
How much each parent makes before taxes
How much each parent could potentially make
How much alimony one parent is paying to the other
How much health insurance for the child costs
The total cost of raising the child
How much each parent is making from self-employment or a business operation

Note, in some states, child support is calculated using the Percentage of Income method. This simple method charges the non-custodial parent a flat fee of their gross monthly income. With that being said, in South Carolina, the Income Share method is used to calculate how much the non-custodial parent pays in child support. To calculate how much child support is owed, the state will add both parents' gross monthly income and require the non-custodial parent to pay their share of raising the child based on their proportional share of the combined income.

An Example Computation

Custodial Parent Monthly Income	$3200
Non-Custodial Parent Monthly Income	$4800
Combined Income	$8000
Non-Custodial Parent Proportional Share ()%	60%
Calculated Payment	60% of $8000 = $2880

If you are the custodial parent, make $3,200 monthly, and the non-custodial parent makes $4,800 monthly, your combined monthly income is $8,000. Since $4,800 is 60% of $8,000 (combined gross income), the non-custodial parent has to pay you 60% of their gross monthly income ($2,880).

What Can Change the Calculated Amount?

To change the amount of child tax due, you need to rebut the presumption that the SC child support calculator is correct. Here are some factors that can be considered to sway the Family Court Judge to change the amount of child support due:

Whether there are seven or more children in the family
How the marital property was distributed
Whether there is a significant difference between each parent's incomes
Whether there are other court-mandated fixed monthly payments
Whether the child is earning any income
Whether one parent has to pay union fees or retirement pensions
Consumer debts
How alimony is distributed (lump sum, reimbursement, or rehabilitative)

Demand Child Support Payments With the Help of DoNotPay

You're working hard enough to raise your child while holding down a job. Being reimbursed for the costs of child care should not be another ball you have to juggle. Fortunately, DNP makes it easy to collect child support payments in arrears.

How to File a Demand Letter for Late Child Support Payments Using DoNotPay

If you want to file a demand letter for late child support payments but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 3 easy steps:

Search child support on DoNotPay and enter the details of the person who owes the payments.
Tell us more about the payment schedule, including the amount and frequency of the payments, the last payment they made, the number of missed payments, and how much they owe you in total.
Confirm your contact information and select whether you want us to mail or email the letter on your behalf. Choose how you would like to receive the payment and verify your signature.

How to Use DoNotPay to Reduce Your Child Support Payments

If a Family Court judge determines that you are responsible for reimbursing your child's other parent for the cost of raising your joint child, you are required to pay child support. If you fail to pay child support as ordered by the court, you could spend up to six months in jail for your first offense and two years in prison for your second offense. That said, DoNotPay can help you reduce your monthly child support liability in just three simple steps:

Search child support on DoNotPay and select the state your child support agreement was established in.
Answer a series of questions about your current financial situation and your past payments to help guide the application.
Confirm your current contact information, and enter the location of the county court that established your child support agreement, so we can mail your request on your behalf!

Other Ways DoNotPay Can Help You

There are several ways you can use DoNotPay to help you besides getting back child support or reducing your monthly child support payments. For instance, DoNotPay is the ideal resource if you need help with: