{"id":371293,"date":"2018-11-19T13:02:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T18:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/alabama-law\/alabama-child-support-guidelines.html"},"modified":"2025-02-19T16:10:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T21:10:43","slug":"alabama-child-support-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/alabama-law\/alabama-child-support-guidelines.html","title":{"rendered":"Alabama Child Support Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Alabama Child Support Guidelines<\/h1>\n
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\n By Kit Yona, M.A.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Parents are responsible for their children’s well-being. If children do not grow up in a two-parent household, child support<\/a> ensures their needs are met.<\/p>\r\n

Alabama courts use the child-support guidelines<\/a>, Rule 32, to determine each parent’s child support obligation. The amount of child support varies in each situation.<\/p>\r\n

Determining child support payments requires financial disclosure and complicated child support calculations<\/a>. In this article, we’ll examine Alabama’s child-support guidelines, discuss the factors and laws involved, and walk you through what to expect during the process.<\/p>\r\n

Alabama Child Support Guidelines: The Basics<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

For child support, Alabama views all parental relationships as together or not together. If parents are married or in a domestic relationship, the state assumes they take care of the children’s needs. If the parents aren’t raising the children in a shared household, they must pay child support<\/a>. It doesn’t matter if the parents divorced were in a serious relationship, or had a one-night stand.<\/p>\r\n

Title IV-D of 1975’s Social Security Act<\/a> requires that all states have a system for collecting, distributing, and enforcing child support payments. In Alabama, child support payment by check or money order goes to:<\/p>\r\n

Alabama Child Support Payment Center (Central Payment Center)
\r\nP.O. Box 244015
\r\nMontgomery, AL 36124-4015<\/p>\r\n

Parents can make payments online through a MyAlabama account<\/a> or via Moneygram<\/a> or ExpertPay<\/a>. This option is available for the parent making the payment and employers.<\/p>\r\n

The Alabama Central Disbursement Division (ACDD)<\/a> disburses money to custodial parents. The Child Support Enforcement Program (CSE or IV-D)<\/a> enforces accounts that fall into arrears (behind on payments). The CSE is part of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.<\/p>\r\n

The default collection method is income withholding, which lowers the possibility of a parent falling into arrears. Once the Alabama courts issue a child support order, employers must deduct the child support payment amount from the obligor’s (paying parent’s) paycheck. The employer then submits the payment to the Child Support Central Payment Center.<\/p>\r\n

The Calculation of Child Support Process<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

The Alabama child support guidelines<\/a> are key in determining child support payments. Alabama courts must apply them while considering the best interests of the child. If they deviate from the guidelines, the judge must give a written explanation. The guidelines are in place to ensure child support determinations are as uniform as possible.<\/p>\r\n

Alabama child support guidelines use an income shares<\/a> model to calculate child support payments. This system aims to have children get the same financial support they would have in a two-parent household. This shows in the court order issued for child support. The court calculates it via the following steps:<\/p>\r\n

1. Determine Gross Income and the Custody Arrangement<\/h3>\r\n

To begin a child support order, each parent must determine their monthly gross income. The state of Alabama has child support guideline worksheets for this. But it’s important to understand which one applies to your child custody situation<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n