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How will my second job be treated for child support purposes?

On Behalf of | Nov 27, 2018 | Child Support

Many parents in Phoenix, Arizona, work hard to make sure that they and their families have what they need to survive and, from time to time, enjoy life a little bit. This sometimes entails one or both parents putting in extra hours at work or taking on a second job.

Of course, in situations where parents live apart, each parent’s respective income factors in to the court’s decision as to how much child support each parent must be responsible for. In theory, this means that all income, including income from one’s second job, is in play when it comes to determining a parent’s child support bill.

Our state does have a rule, however, which helps eliminate any unfairness that may result from this practice. Specifically, courts will generally only consider income up to the point of what each parent earns from one full-time job.

In other words, the courts typically will not impose a higher child support obligation on a parent who chooses to pick up some extra money via a second job or overtime, especially if the reason they are doing so is to make sure they pay their current support obligation on time.

There are some exceptions to this rule, though. For instance, if a parent has consistently held a second job, even prior to a divorce or separation, and looks poised to do so for the foreseeable future, then a judge may consider that income to be something to which the child has a right to share in.

On the whole, Arizona child support issues about second jobs and overtime can be tricky and heavily depending on the individual circumstances of one’s case. This is why it is often a good idea to speak with an experienced family law attorney about such questions.