California statutes lay out guidelines for an initial determination of child support that are in general supposed to be specific and clear. Typically, each parent’s income will be examined as will the amount of time they will be caring for the child. However, there may be situations in which a deviation is warranted or “add-ons” are appropriate, for example, for child care.
County agencies assist with child support logistics
Most parents in California understand that even if they are no longer in a relationship with one another they are both still responsible for the well-being of their child. Many times this means that one parent will have custody of the child and the other parent will have visitation and pay child support. In California, each county has a local child support agency, or LCSA. The role of the LCSA is to help California residents establish and enforce child support orders issued by the courts.
When will California courts presume a man is a child's father?
When parents in California break-up or divorce, they both still share the responsibility to support their child financially. However, in order for this obligation to be enforceable by the court, there must be an order for support. If a parent wants to receive child support, they first must move the court to establish paternity -- called parentage-- and then move the court to issue a child support order. While a DNA test can be used to determine parentage, in some cases parentage will be presumed by the court.