Connecticut is required to update it Child Support Guidelines every four
years. After a lengthy process the new guidelines were adopted which took effect
on August 1, 2005. The guidelines are still based on the Income Shares Model,
which reflects the average cost of raising children in households across a wide
range of incomes and family sizes. The model is predicated on the concept that a
child should receive the same proportion of parental income as he or she would
have received if the parents lived together. The cost of raising children is
determined by comparing the expenditures of equally well off families with
children to those of families without children. Some of the changes to the guidelines include raising the cap of the
guideline's chart from a combined family net of $130,000
to a family net of $208,000. Under the guidelines, the first component of basic child support is calculated based
on each parent's percentage of the family's combined net income. Next, each
parent's combined net income is adjusted by adding the amount of the child
support one parent receives and subtracting the amount of child support the
other parent pays and by adding 80% of the amount alimony one parent
receives and subtracting 80% of the amount of the alimony the other parent pays
to determine the net disposable income and percentage of net disposable income for each parent. The adjusted percentage is each parent's share of the other two
components of child support, work related daycare and un-reimbursed medical
expenses. Medical/hospital/dental insurance premiums are no longer separated by parent
and child and are treated as one premium in determining net income. Deviation criteria are listed with boxes to be checked off for criteria that
apply. Child care contributions and un-reimbursed medical expenses are not ordered
as numbers but as a percentage.