The main idea behind child support is that all parents have a duty to financially support their children in proportion to their respective incomes. Child support is meant to cover a broad range of expenses, for example, school tuition, entertainment, medical expenses, extracurricular activities, etc.
Child support is paid by the non-custodial parent (the parent who doesn't live with the child) to the custodial parent (the parent who lives with the child). Each state has child support guidelines that help determine how much the non-custodial parent should be required to pay.
In Nebraska, the child support guidelines are presumed to be in the best interest of the child. Therefore, the court will order child support in accordance with the guidelines unless there is enough evidence to rebut this presumption. The court can deviate from the guidelines in the following circumstances:
The chart below provides a brief overview of Nebraska's child support guidelines.
| Code Section | Nebraska Child Support Guidelines |
| How Is Child Support Calculated? | The following steps are used to calculate how much the non-custodial parent will be required to pay in child support. |
| Total Monthly Income | Step 1: Total monthly income means the combined income of both parents from all sources (except for means-tested public assistance benefits). |
| Monthly Net Income | Step 2: Subtract the following deductions from each parent's total monthly income in order to determine each parent's monthly net income:
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| Monthly Support | Step 3: Combine the monthly net incomes of both parents and use insert figure into table 1 to determine the amount of monthly support. |
| Parent's Monthly Share | Step 4: Multiply the child support amount by the percentage contribution of each parent according to their income. |
Minimum Support
Nebraska's child support guidelines recommend that a minimal child support award be issued even in very low-income cases. Generally in these situations the court will order a minimum support of $50, or 10% or the non-custodial parent's net income, whichever is greater.
What About Joint or Split Custody Arrangements?
If there is a split custody order (where each parent has physical custody of one or more of the children) or a joint physical custody order in place then the family law court will use worksheets to calculate how much child support is appropriate. Worksheet 2 shows how to do this calculation for split custody situations, and Worksheet 3 is applicable to joint physical custody arrangements.
Additional Resources
State laws change frequently. For case specific information regarding Nebraska's child support guidelines contact a local family law lawyer.
