News
Release
June
30, 2009
Contact: Steve
Davis, Court Communications Officer, (515)725-8058
New Child Support
Guidelines Take Effect July 1
Des
Moines, June 30, 2009—New
child
support guidelines approved by the Iowa Supreme Court take effect July 1,
2009. The new guidelines replace the long-standing child support guidelines
that the district courts and the child support recovery unit have used for
nearly twenty years to calculate the amount a parent must pay to help support
his or her children when the children live with the other parent all or part of
the time.
Like
the old child support guidelines, the new guidelines are based upon three
fundamental principles: (1) each parent has a duty to support his or her
children, (2) support should correspond to the cost of raising a child, and (3)
the level of support should be in proportion to each parent's
income. However, the new guidelines, which are referred to as a "pure
income shares model," provide a number of significant improvements over
the old guidelines. Among other things, the new guidelines:
· Include a table (called the Schedule
of Basic Support Obligations) that is much easier to understand and
use. This table clearly shows the combined income of both parents
alongside the total child support obligation of both parents.
· Provide a better way for parents to
share the cost of health care insurance premiums.
· Provide an adjustment for the support
obligations of non-custodial parents whose net income is below the poverty
level. The purpose of this adjustment is to leave these parents with enough
money to cover their basic living needs after paying child support.
The
new guidelines are the result of a study by an advisory committee composed of
experts in family law, economics, and child support. This study included a
comparison of Iowa's guidelines, old and new, to the guidelines of other states
and to data on the cost of raising a child. This study was part of the
supreme court's regular four-year review of the guidelines, which is required
by state and federal law.
"While
the method of computation has changed and will require a degree of reeducation,
the committee is confident that the pure income shares model corrects many of
the deficiencies of the old guidelines," Des Moines attorney and committee
member Steve Lytle said. "The new guidelines will serve as a better platform
going forward because they are more readily adaptable to the changing
economic circumstances and considerations in the years to come."
A
large portion of the caseload in Iowa courts involves divorce, paternity, child
custody and child support actions. In 2008 Iowa courts heard 8,700 divorce
cases involving children, 6,500 paternity cases and 6,900 administrative
support cases filed by the Iowa Child Support Recovery Unit.
The
new guidelines are available on the Judicial Branch website at www.iowacourts.gov. The guidelines
include worksheets, tables and charts to determine child support obligations.
The guidelines are for use in cases pending or filed after July 1, 2009.
# # #
2009
Iowa Supreme Court
1111 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-3952
