Wyoming Child Support & Parenting Time Calculations
Child support payments are made by one divorced or separated parent to the other, so you both contribute fairly to meet your child's needs. In Wyoming, overnights with your child can affect your support amount. Money is usually owed until the child turns 18.
Wind River Indian Reservation operates its own child support programs that are separate from the state of Wyoming. People who belong to the Northern Arapaho or Eastern Shoshone tribe should contact their tribal authority.
Wyoming's child support formula
To get an estimate of your child support obligation, use the calculator from the Wyoming Child Support Program or the quick calculator above.
The court considers these factors:
- Both parents' incomes. Certain expenses, such as employer-mandated retirement contributions, can be deducted.
- Expenses to meet your child's needs, including child care and healthcare premiums. Health insurance for other dependents (like a stepchild) may also be considered.
- Both parents' overnights. You qualify for "shared custody" status if each of you has at least 92 overnights a year and helps with the child's expenses (beyond child support). This will generally reduce the support amount.
Judges can deviate from the guidelines for any reason they consider relevant, like a parent working less than they could.
How to request child support
Either parent can apply for a child support order at any time. If a child lives with a nonparent caregiver (like an aunt or uncle), that caregiver can request support from the parents.
Child support goes through district court. Receiving services from the Wyoming Child Support Program may minimize the direct contact you'll have with the court, as they'll handle it for you.
In district court
Open a case for custody and visitation (if you're not married to your child's other parent) or for divorce. Child support is considered as part of these types of cases. Court forms are online.
Through the state agency
You can apply for child support services through the Wyoming Child Support Program. It costs nothing to apply.
If the custodial parent receives POWER or Medicaid benefits, the state provides collection and enforcement services, and neither parent pays a fee. The state may open a case for you. You can't decline the state's involvement.
If the custodial parent does not receive POWER or Medicaid, you can still apply to the Wyoming Child Support Program. Once you're in, each year that the state collects at least $550 in child support, it will keep a $35 annual fee.
Asking for an amount that differs from the guideline
Deviations must be approved by a district court judge.
If parents together propose an amount and they don't receive public assistance, the judge is likely to approve their request. The Wyoming Child Support Program can handle the paperwork for the judge; a court hearing may be unnecessary.
However, if parents disagree on the amount, or if one of them receives public assistance, they'll have to appear for a district court hearing. (The relevant type of public assistance includes Pell grants, POWER, SNAP, Medicaid and SSI.)
Counting your overnights for the entire year on scratch paper is tedious. You risk making errors, and you have to recount every time you tweak your calendar. Using Custody X Change to exactly calculate your overnight parenting time can make a difference. When you create a schedule in the app, it automatically counts overnights.
Temporary child support
While your case is ongoing, the judge is likely to order one parent to start sending money to the other. This is called temporary child support because the judge hasn't issued a permanent order yet.
To keep track of these temporary payments:
- Write "child support" in each payment description (memo line) to make clear it isn't just a gift.
- Save your payment receipts.
- Present this documentation to the court, and ask for a court order acknowledging the payments.
- If your child support payments go through the Wyoming Child Support Program, send them the court order.
Otherwise, the court won't know you've been paying temporary support.
How child support is paid
The parent who pays will be ordered to send money through the district court or the Wyoming Child Support Program. This enables the state to track the payments before it sends the funds to the other parent.
Employers often withhold money from the parent's paycheck, ensuring that support is paid promptly.
After recording the payment, the court or agency distributes the money to the parent who's owed. The receiving parent can choose where the funds should be deposited.
It's important to notify the court, or your Wyoming Child Support Program caseworker, if you move. When they're able to stay in touch with you, they can help you comply with the support order.
How child support is enforced
Whether your support order goes through the district court or the state agency, it will be enforced in similar ways. If a parent has trouble paying child support, they should promptly bring it to the court's attention or discuss it with their caseworker.
When a parent's payments are overdue, the state can:
- Report their debt to credit bureaus
- Put a lien on their property or a levy on their bank accounts
- Intercept their tax refunds
- Suspend their license to drive, hunt or fish
- Suspend their professional license
- Ask the district court to hold them in civil contempt
- Ask the federal government to deny their passport
- Seek federal prosecution
When the amount can change
Parents are entitled to a review of the support amount every three years, or whenever one of them has a significant financial change (like a job loss or an increase in the child's needs). Changing the amount is called an adjustment or a modification. Contact your district court or local Wyoming Child Support Program office to find out its procedure.
If the custodial parent receives POWER, the three-year review will be scheduled for you.
Calculating your parenting time
Parenting time is an important factor in Wyoming child support calculations.
Lawyers usually estimate a parent's number of overnights because manually calculating is tedious.
But estimating can affect your support order by thousands of dollars a year. The Custody X Change app lets you quickly and accurately calculate your exact overnights.
Try this with Custody X Change.
Don't merely guess at your parenting time. Calculate it exactly to get a fair child support payment.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay support if I have 50/50 custody?
Yes, probably. The support amount depends mostly on the parents' incomes. But you will pay less than you would if you had little parenting time.
Is there free legal advice for child support in Wyoming?
If you're low-income, you may qualify for assistance. Try Legal Aid of Wyoming. Military parents can try the Military Pro Bono Project. Although the Wyoming Child Support Program may assign a lawyer to your case, be aware that this lawyer represents the state, not you.
When can I stop paying child support?
In Wyoming, you can ask to terminate child support after your child turns 18 and is no longer in high school. As long as they continue to attend high school, your support obligation will continue until they turn 20. It may also continue for an adult child who can't support themself due to disability.