Like every other parent, military parents must provide for their children financially, regardless of their marital status. While child support proceedings are not that different from nonmilitary cases, there are certain differences that service members must know.
How do you calculate military child support?
Washington law controls child support calculations for military and nonmilitary parents alike. For service members, the calculations factor in:
- The military parent’s income
- The receiving parent’s income
- The number of children they have together
- Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS)
- The financial needs of the child, such as healthcare, housing, education, etc.
- The child’s standard of living before the divorce
The child support estimator from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services can give you a rough estimate of monthly child support obligations. However, it will be up to the court to consider other factors, such as your child’s specific needs.
How can a deployed parent send payments?
Being deployed can make it difficult to send child support payments directly to the other parent. Luckily, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) allows service members to establish voluntary allotment. This will take the payments from their income automatically.
If the military parent fails to send payments, the other parent can send DFAS a child support order from the court or the state Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). The military parent’s commanding officer may be able to help enforce payments.
What are interim child support payments?
Even if they are still married and/or there is no court order, military parents must provide support for their children. That said, the nonmilitary parent can request interim payments before the court finalizes the child support order.
Interim payment amounts usually depend on the service member’s base pay. However, other factors may apply, such as the number of children and custody arrangement.
The nonmilitary parent can directly ask their coparent for interim support. But if necessary, the nonmilitary parent may request a commanding officer’s help, who can then order the service member to pay.
Consider seeking legal help
Being in the military can introduce several challenges when it comes to child support. That said, it is advisable to seek help from an attorney. Whether you are a military or a civilian parent, an experienced lawyer can guide you through the process and help ensure your children get the support they need.
