If I have joint custody, do I still have to pay child support?
Yes. Joint custody doesn’t negate a child support obligation. Even if both parents share custody on an equal basis, one parent will inevitably owe some amount in child support. Unless of course both parents earn exactly the same income and spend exactly the same amount of time with the children, which is highly unlikely.
The reason why there still is a child support obligation even when custody is shared equally, is because our child support guidelines calculate the obligation based on time spent with each parent and the income of each parent. So even if the child spends equal time with each parent, the parent with the higher income will owe child support.
