Paying Your Share: Child Support in Minnesota

When children are involved in a divorce, the court will normally order one of the parties to pay child support to the other. Child support in Minnesota comprises three elements: “basic” support, child care support, and medical support. Basic support is paid to cover the child’s basic expenses, such as food, clothing, and housing. Child care support is a court-ordered amount to help pay for work or education-related child care costs. Medical support is paid to contribute to the cost of health insurance (or toward Medical Assistance), as well as unreimbursed medical expenses.

For purposes of support, a “child” is a person who is under 18 (under 20 if he or she is still in secondary school) or who is incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental condition. Presumptive child support is calculated by a statutory formula which takes into account the number of children, the gross incomes of both parents, and the respective number of overnights that the children spend with each parent.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services maintains an online Child Support Calculator which will allow you to determine the presumptive amount of child support in your case. Attorneys and the court also use this calculator. The court will use the amount of child support set forth by the calculator unless there is a valid reason to deviate up or down from this presumptive amount. In practice, this is rare and, when it occurs, it is often because a child has special needs or because there are other extenuating circumstances for the parties.

There are, of course, other factors than can come into play and complicate the issue. To discuss your child support matter, contact Kruse Family Law at 612.231.9865 or email corwin@krusefamilylaw.com.

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Child support in Minnesota is paid to help cover children's basic needs.