Rhode Island child support
Child support ensures both parents are financially contributing to their child's upbringing. The noncustodial parent pays support. The custodial parent fulfills their obligation by providing the child's primary home and care. In some cases, neither parent pays support if they have equal time with the child and similar incomes.
Child support lasts until the child turns 18 — or if they're still in high school then, until they graduate or turn 19 (whichever comes first). Support can end earlier if the child becomes emancipated. It can end later if the child is disabled. By agreement, parents can choose when it will end if a court approves.
Child support guidelines
Rhode Island adheres to its child support guidelines when determining support amounts.
The support amount depends on the number of children and the parents' monthly gross incomes. From your income, you can subtract what you pay for certain costs, including the kids' health insurance premiums and any child support for other children.
The child support schedule (found in the guidelines) shows the parents' basic support obligation. The noncustodial parent pays a percentage in line with their share of the combined income. Child care expenses are added to this amount if necessary.
If the noncustodial parent has less than 20% of yearly overnights in their placement schedule, they may have to pay extra. If both parents have at least 49% of parenting time, there's an adjustment for shared placement.
Applying for child support
You can request child support when you file for divorce or placement. Complete a child support worksheet to help the court determine the right support amount. If one of the child's parents is not recognized as the child's legal parent, you must establish parentage before applying for support.
If you apply for RI Works benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or Child Support Services (CSS), the state will start a support case for you. If you apply for CSS but don't qualify for public assistance, expect to pay a $20 application fee.
CSS will provide "full service" for applicants, meaning the office can help you find the noncustodial parent, establish parentage and enforce the support order (more below).
Paying and receiving support
The frequency of support payments depends on how often the noncustodial parent gets paid. So, the custodial parent might receive support weekly, biweekly or monthly.
There are a few ways to pay child support. It's common for noncustodial parents to pay via income withholding, which is when support is automatically deducted from their paycheck.
If you have a full-service case with CSS, support payments pass through the office, then go to you. Parents who receive public assistance might only get $50 of their support payment.
Modifying and enforcing child support
If there's been a substantial change in circumstances, either parent can request a modification of the support order.
Enforcement is necessary when the noncustodial parent misses support payments. CSS will handle enforcement if you have a full-service case with them. If you don't, and the noncustodial parent hasn't paid support in 30 days, you'll need to file a contempt motion. This is a complicated process that is best handled by an attorney.
Possible penalties for not paying support include reduced parenting time and seizure of tax refunds. If more than $10,000 is owed, the court can revoke the nonpaying parent's driver's license. Parents who lose their job may be exempt from these penalties.
Getting an accurate child support order
Rhode Island counts how many overnights a parent has in their placement schedule to determine their share of parenting time.
Incorrectly estimating your support amount could cost you thousands. Still, attorneys and the court usually estimate because manually tallying parenting time is time-consuming.
The Custody X Change app lets you quickly calculate your time with your child.
Try this with Custody X Change.
With Custody X Change, you can tweak your parenting time schedule to see how even little changes affect your time with the child. Plus, you can see how the number changes each year due to holidays and other events.
Whether you're paying or receiving child support, make sure your calculation is exact. The number will affect you, your child and the other parent for years to come.