Superior Court >Self- Service Center >Glossary Child Support Child support refers to payments made by one parent to the other for the needs of the child. A parent who has physical Legal Decision Making (Custody) of a child more than 50% of the time may receive support from the other parent for that parent's share of the support for the child.

The amount of child support is determined by combining the income of both parents. There are guidelines to determine child support that the judge will follow. These guildelines list the factors involved in determining support, and include a chart to determine the amount of support. You should read a copy of the guidelines as soon as you can, to understand how child support might be ordered in your case.

Child support must be paid in money -- not in clothes or gifts. And it must be paid through the Clerk of the Court if there is a court order for support.

Here are some ideas about how child Support generally works, but each case is different.

Child support orders apply to any child under the age of 18, or a child who is still attending high school or an equivalency program. Also, if a child is mentally or physically handicapped, the judge may order that support payments continue indefinitely, past the age of majority.