New Mexico Child Support Attorneys

Estimating Your Child Support Payments

In New Mexico, parents have the option of reaching a child support agreement on their own or having it decided by the court. Ideally, the child support obligations of each parent are fairly based on their financial circumstances and adequately cover all of the child’s needs. New Mexico has its own set of guidelines when calculating child support. You can use this CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATOR when estimating you potential payments. We represent people who are trying to establish child support or need legal assistance in getting a child support order enforced.

New Mexico Child Support Guidelines

The guidelines used to calculate child support are based on Worksheet A of the basic child support schedule when one parent has child visitation and the other parent has primary custody. Worksheet B of the basic child support guidelines are used when both parents have joint custody of the child. The worksheet serves as a guideline but the court should be notified of any extenuating circumstances or special situations if the amount of child support payments appears to be inadequate.

Expenses Child Support Covers

The financial contributions of each parent are established to help the children maintain a standard of living comparable to both parents. We work closely with clients to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the expenses associated with raising the children and providing for their welfare. Some of the expenses covered by child support are:

Educational expenses such as private school tuition and school supplies
Medical and dental services
Food
Expenses for recreational activities
Travel costs

Factors Used to Calculate Child Support

An experienced child support attorney knows how to accurately calculate child support based on New Mexico’s guidelines. The factors used to assess the child support payments include:

The parents’ gross income
The number of children
Health insurance costs
The number of days the children spend with each parent

Child Support Enforcement

If you are receiving child support payments inconsistently, or have not received any child support payments at all, there are measures that can be used to assist you. If a parent is violating a child support court order or agreement, the New Mexico Child Support Enforcement Division can initiate wage garnishment, revoke the non-paying parent’s professional license and/or driver’s license, place liens on assets, or garnish income tax refunds.