Last Updated on January 18, 2024 by Lori Pace
Law requires that parents provide care for their children from the time they are born until the time they reach adulthood. This is usually done within a family. However, sometimes the parents may not be present. While the child may live with one parent it is important that the other parent takes on the responsibility. Today, let’s find out the child support system in Alaska and the calculator tool.
What is Child Support?
Child support payments are financial obligations that parents have to make on a regular basis in order to provide care for their child. Non-custodial parents are responsible for providing care for their child through child support payments. However, some states in the US do not enforce child support. But Alaska is not one of them.
The Process and Calculator For Child Support After Divorce in Alaska
Child support payments in Alaska can be made either through a court order, or through the state’s Child Support Services Division. When the child is in a custody or divorce case, court orders are often a requirement. The custodial parent can use the CSSD to establish child support orders administratively.
Parents who desire to apply for child support can do so on the Child Support Services Division website. To submit the application, you must create a profile. CSSD will then locate the other parent and serve them with a notice regarding the child support request.
After the establishment of paternity, use this website to calculate the child support obligation in Alaska. This calculator gives you an idea of the amount of child support to expect. Parents can agree to a higher amount than the one specified.
The monthly payments are a requirement until the child turns 19, or graduates from high school. The custodial parent can also apply for adjustments to the child support payments as the income of the non-custodial parent changes by filling the form.
How Do You Receive Child Support
The child support payments can be received by custodial parents or grandparents in two ways. You can receive the child support payments on a Key2Benefits card, a special debit card. This MasterCard-branded debit card can be loaded (by child support payments) and used for bills payment or online purchases. You can withdraw your Key2Benefits card at Allpoint ATMs and KeyBank without incurring additional charges.
Another option is available to the custodial parent. The custodial parent may choose to have the funds transferred directly into their savings account. Deposit of funds be directly to the bank account designated by the custodial parent. Register or modify this bank information by visiting this myAlaska website.
The Maximum Calculator Amount That Your Family Can Receive For Child Support in Alaska
Child support payments are calculated as a percentage from the adjusted income of the non custodial parent. This calculation may also consider the parenting arrangement. This amount is 20% of the adjusted income of the non-custodial parent for one child. It is 27% for two. It is 33% for three children and 3% for each subsequent child.
The high-income cap rule is available to high-income parents. This rule states that the child support calculation will not be based on adjusted income above $100,000. The minimum monthly child support payment is $50. Here are more details on the calculator maximum and minimum limits of child support payments in Alaska.
Enforcement of Child Support
The CSSD may issue withholding orders to the CSSD for the property, wages, and assets of the non-custodial parent. Parents who are self-employed and refuse to pay child support could have funds taken from their business accounts. To force the parent into paying, you can revoke the state occupational license.
Bankruptcy is not an option for parents to stop paying child support. Even if the parents file bankruptcy, their child support debts will remain on record. The CSSD may also be able to draw upon the child support payment debt owed from the unemployment benefits of the parent not custodial.
The federal law also allows the non-custodial parent to be prosecuted for trying to escape the state in order not to pay child support. Here are more details on the enforcement of child support payments by the CSSD.
