When parents are living separately, child support is essential to the custodial parent. That is because it provides money for expenses necessary to raise a child. The amount of child support that a parent will have to pay, and likewise that the other parent will receive, is determined by a formula. There are some exceptions to this formula, however, and judges may deviate from the standards.

One can find this formula expressed in a series of tables grouping payments based on the number of shared children and income published by New York State. A lawyer can help ensure that you receive the proper amount and will inform you of the options for payment—from direct parent-to-parent payments or payments with the state as an intermediary. Also, a lawyer can ask the Family Court to order that a parent pay for additional expenses, such as education, college and babysitting or child care or healthcare or medical expenses.