Child Support Basics
by: Wyoming Legal Services - Lander Office
If you have custody of your children, you may get child support.
If you are the non-custodial parent you may have to pay child support.
Here are some important facts about child support:
- Both parents must support their children. Parents who do not support their children will not only hurt their children, they will have legal problems as well.
- The parent with custody give the kids these kinds of support:
- a home
- food
- clothing
- day care
- other items that children want and need
- The parent without custody give these kinds of support:
- paying support
- care during visitation
How much child support will I get or have to pay?
In deciding how much child support must be paid, a judge will look at:
- Income of each parent
- Income of both parents put together
- Number of children
To see what your child support payment maybe, click here, and then scroll down and click on Child Support Calculator.
How child support in Wyoming works
Wyoming uses a chart to find child support amounts. The judge looks at two things:
- the number of kids you have
- how much money you make
- how much money your spouse makes.
The judge uses the chart to find out how much each parent should pay.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Will I have to pay what the chart says?
Yes, more than likely. You are allowed to ask the judge if you want to pay something else.
- If you do this, you will need to explain to the judge.
- You will need to show the judge why you can't afford what is being asked of you.
- You will need to have a good reason.
- Reasons that you might pay another amount are
- the high cost of necessary edcuational or medical expenses,
- the high cost of necessary daycare, and
- your ability to earn money.
Too see more reasons why you might pay something other than what the chart says, click here, then click on Wyoming Statutes and scroll to WS 20-2-307(b).
Getting the money
In most cases, child support payments are not sent between you and your ex-spouse. Instead, money is sent to Child Support Enforcement who sends the money to the custodial parent.
What if my ex-spouse refuses to pay?
If your ex-spouse isn't paying, tell your child support caseworker. This is what will happen next:
- A notice will be sent to your ex. The notice tells your ex to start paying.
- If your ex doesn't pay, legal action will be taken against him or her.
Most Wyoming counties have a Child Support Enforcement office.
To find one near you, click on the Other Help/Community Resources tab above and type in your zip code, county or city.
What will happen if the child support isn't paid?
The judge can do a lot of things if you don't pay:
- Take money from your paycheck or bank account
- Force you to get a job or stop you from getting loans
- Send you to prison
- Make it so you can't get a fishing or hunting license
- Take away your driver's license or a license you need for work, like a teaching license or a license to practice law)
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