Imputing Income in Child Support Cases

Imputing Income

Even if you don’t have any income, you could still be responsible for child support. If a court believes a parent is voluntarily unemployed or “underemployed” (working at a lower paying job than qualified for, or working fewer hours than the parent is able to work), the judge will look carefully at the reasons for the lack of income.

Unless the parent shows evidence of serious job-hunting efforts or disability, a judge might base support on “imputed” (potential) income. Imputed income can be based on a parent's most recent job or on local job opportunities that the parent would qualify for based on training and experience. If there is no evidence of greater earning ability, a court will probably impute income at minimum wage.


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