What should I ask for monthly child support?

Question

Me and the father of my baby have split up but remain very close. He voulenteered to pay child support and help me out financialy, so that for six months I can be a stay at home parent. I will be staying with my mother for those six months so that I may be with my baby during the day, and when she gets off of work she will babysit for me while I go to school 3 nights a week. It shouldn't take more than six months to finish my degree. Once I do I plan on getting a great job. Mean while I was wondering the amount I should charge him. We want to do this without getting the courts involved.

Answer 1

it is refreshing to see a civil separation. the general, the person you marry IS NOT the one you divorce.

first of all, you need a custody order... for the protection of all involved. without it, he can take and KEEP the baby and there isnt anything you can do about... until you go to court about it.

i will list some links for child support, and your states laws. just click on the link, then the state. learn your states laws, learn them all.

i will also list some info on funding help with school. i dont know your interests and details, so i will just list all that i have found on the web.

remember, some sites charge for this free information, so if you come across one that does charge for this info, avoid it.

CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATOR
http://www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/

YOUR STATES CS POLICY
http://childsupportcenter.org/stateprofiles.php

ABANDONMENT (NO SHOW PARENTS)
http://www.alllaw.com/articles/family/

NOT ALL PARENTS LOVE THEIR CHILDREN
And "RATIONAL LIES"
http://www.alllaw.com/articles/family/child_custody/article7.asp

FREE LEGAL HELP IN YOUR STATE
(just click on your state to find contact info)
http://www.lawhelp.org/

LAWS
http://www.divorcehq.com/spprtgroups.html
http://www.divorceinfo.com/statebystate.htm
http://www.divorcenet.com/states
http://www.divorcesource.com/
http://www.divorcesource.com/info/deadbeat/deadbeat.shtml
http://www.divorcecentral.com/
http://family.findlaw.com/
http://family.findlaw.com/child-support/unpaid-support/support-orders-enforcement.html
http://www.divorcehq.com/deadbeat.html
----------------------
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TESTING & PRACTICE TESTS
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http://collegeboard.com/splash/
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http://lsac.org
http://toefl.org
http://www.ets.org
http://www.gre.org
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat
http://www.gmac.org

TURNITIN
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INFO
NACAC & COMMONAPP
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DVD TOURS OF COLLEGES
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CRIME STATS, DATA OF COLLEGES
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SCHOLARSHIP LIST
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https://www.collegedata.com/cs/search/scholar/scholar_search_tmpl.jhtml?Referrer=OvScholar
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http://www.act.org/recognition/clients.html
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http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
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http://www.fastweb.com/
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http://www.policylink.org/EDTK/AH101/Financing.html#4
http://www.hud.gov/grants/index.cfm

MISC FIELDS OF STUDY
http://www.arts.ucla.edu/support_ucla/primary.htm
http://www.act.org/goldwater/yybull.html
http://www.act.org/recognition/clients.html
http://whereyouheaded.com/
http://luth.org/schools.htm
http://www.nwboatschool.org/
http://soloschools.com/
http://www.nols.edu/wmi/
http://etruscanfoundation.org/

NURSING / CNA
http://www.scholarships-ar-us.org/grants/nursing.htm
http://www.dar.org/natsociety/edout_scholar.cfm
http://nursingworld.org/nursecareer/edfund.htm
http://www.medi-smart.com/finaid.htm
http://www.discovernursing.com/nursing-scholarship-search
http://www.ncaa.org/about/scholarships.html
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/nsl.htm
http://www.nsna.org/foundation/
http://www.4cnas.com
http://www.choosenursing.com/
http://www.minoritynurse.com/
http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subptyschol.inc
http://www.straightforwardmedia.com/nursing/
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/scholarship/

BECOMING A TEACHER
http://www.siemens-foundation.org/TeacherScholarship/
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/becoming.htm
http://www.fseog.com/
http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html
http://www.act.org/recognition/clients.html

CHILDREN OF MILITARY
http://www.militaryscholar.org/about/about.shtml
http://www.mcsf.com/site/c.ivKVLaMTIuG/b.1677655/k.BEA8/Home.htm
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm <-do search for ‘scholarships’
http://www.milspouse.org/Educ/Fund/MilFScholar/
http://www.aerhq.org/education_dependentchildren.asp

INTERNSHIPS
http://www.fasttrackinternships.com/
http://www.internprograms.com/
http://www.brillstreet.com/
http://ceri.msu.edu/

DEPENDENCY or NOT
http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/apply_student_loan/understanding/financial_aid/dependency/

LOAN FORGIVENESS
http://www.pheaa.org/loanforgiveness/healthier_futures.shtml
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/loanforgiveness.htm
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/cancelstaff.jsp?tab=repaying
http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml
http://www.aessuccess.org/manage/cant_make_payment/Federal_Teacher_Loan_Forgiveness.shtml
http://www.staffordloan.com/repayment/forgiveness.shtml
http://www.educationplanner.com/ss/code/Profile1.asp?level=u®ion=s&mode=EDIT&sponsor=2859&volume=SS&e&h

STATUS OF LOAN OR AID
http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/

IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR PIN yet (for your loan / aid status) apply for one:
http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

ESSAY HELP
http://essayedge.com/
http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/
http://www.gradesaver.com/resources/scholarship.html
http://www.collegeadmissionsessays.com/
http://www.nataviguides.com/broke_essay.html
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http://www.scholarshipessay.us/
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http://www.freschinfo.com/tips-topic.php
http://www.korepetycje.com/Essays_Articles/scholarshipessay.html

GRANT SCHOLARSHIP SCAM LIST
(if you find a scam report it here too)
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer/media_psas_classads.html
http://www.actstudent.org/finaid/scholarshipscams.html

LOANS
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/index.html
http://www.acteducationloans.com/
http://www.finaid.org/loans/educationlenders.phtml
http://www.financialaid.com/plus/index.cfm?id=plusloans
http://www.alternativestudentloan.com/
http://www.parentplusloan.com/
http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/about/
http://www.myspace.com/financialaidpodcast
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com

GRAD LOANS & SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.gradloans.com/graduate-plus-loan/
http://www.gfoa.org/services/scholarships.shtml
http://www.akaeaf.org/programsandinitiatives/

DEFAULTED STUDENT LOANS
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/index.html

CONSOLIDATE LOANS
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/
http://www.plusloanconsolidator.com/
http://www.salliemae.com/after_graduation/manage_your_loans/consolidate_student_loans/student_loan_consolidation.htm
http://www.salliemae.com/content/privateconsolidation/index.html
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/

TEACHER / PROFESSORS reviews, rated by students
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp
http://teacherreviews.com/
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
http://www.edupass.org/finaid/
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http://www.abroadplanet.com/student-loans/the-global-student-loan-corporation/
http://www.salliemae.com/international/
FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
http://fordfound.org/

HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIPS
http://www.hsf.net/
http://www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/
http://www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/grants/hispanic.asp
http://www.hsfi.org/
http://scholarships.hispanicfund.org/applications/
http://www.chci.org/chciyouth/scholarship/scholarship.htm
http://www.bpwusa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4212

SINGLE PARENT SCHOLARSHIPS & HELP
http://www.bpwusa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4212
http://singleparents.about.com/od/scholarships/tp/Search_Scholar.htm
http://www.singlemotherresources.com/
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http://www.singlemom.com/CAREER/financialaid.htm
http://salliemae.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_free_money.jsp
http://www.raisethenation.org/
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http://www.soroptimist.org/sia/AM/Template.cfm?Section=WOMEN_S_OPPORTUNITY_AWARDS
http://www.back2college.com/
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CIP1
https://www.ourfamiliesourfuture.org/index.jsp
http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/index.html

http://firstgovsearch.gov/search?v%3Aproject=firstgov-web&query=grant+list
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/grants-catalog-document.html
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
http://www.grants.gov/

Answer 2

Congratulations on deciding to keep the government out of your life. It is a wise move. It is difficult to provide a dollar amount as it is very dependent on where you live as well as your (both parents) lifestyles.
That said and assuming the father chooses not to be an equal parent (which is how it sounds since your mom is babysitting):
1) Keep the courts out of your private life. If things change, if either of you become so unhappy in the future with the deal you make now, the courts can always be used. Once invited, the courts can overrule both of you.
2) Keep the father involved with his child to the extent possible. (I would even suggest DNA testing to insure paternity). Do not put restrictions on "when", other than both of you need to be reasonable. If the father is indeed half the child's parents; remember this when something arises on which you disagree.
3) Base the amount of child support on *needs*, not wants nor the income of either parent.
4) Make the agreement flexible to include later costs that increase/decrease, such as child care, medical and the like.
I would suggest providing receipts for those expenses where it can be done (food is rather difficult to divide when consumed by the child and others) such as clothing, medical, toys, etc., and provide proof that you are also providing from your income when you get to the point that you are, or should.

Answer 3

Sit down and make a list of the baby's expenses...diapers, food, doctor allowance, medicine allowance, clothing, miscellaneous and see what you come up with. Be sure that the father has signed all the appropriate paperwork to establish paternity. When you want a court order for support, contact your local Child Support Enforcement Agency and they will assist you at little or no cost.

Answer 4

Go on the web type in federal website then click on the state part find your state type in child support then they have a calculator. I got a website for you its from Oregon but it should be about the same because it goes off of income not any thing else so here is the website:
http://www.dcs.state.or.us/calculator/effective/

good luck!

Answer 5

That's a good idea - otherwise the government will be making money off the two of you. My husband pays $100 a week for child support.

Answer 6

It all depends on his income, babies are very expensive in the early months - you may have to get a lawyor involved (that doesn't mean court, just someone that can give you legal advice in a situation like this) and please, draft out a contract. Verbal agreements do go wrong! 'Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Depending on the state, the min is 50 bucks. It should be based on a % of his income and how much you need to give your child a happy life. Be happy!

Answer 8

Unfortunately if u do not wish to get the courts involved u will have to accept whatever he is willing to pay...actually sounds like u have a good deal set up...good luck

Answer 9

You're living in a dream world if you really think the courts will never get involved. At some point you will want more and he will want less.

Oh well the world is filled with dreamers.

Answer 10

You need to get the courts involved. He may say that he will pay you but honey when it comes down to it you won't get a dime. I know from experience.