Family Law

Your Trusted Child Support Attorney in Indiana

Is the Child Support Amount Really Fair to Your Children?

Child support is one of the most contested issues in any Indiana divorce or paternity case. Most people think of it as a number — a monthly payment that one parent makes to the other. But child support is more than a financial transaction. It is the money that determines what resources a child has at each household, and getting it wrong affects children directly.

If one parent pays too much, the children are financially shortchanged during time spent in that parent’s home. If one parent receives too little, the children lack the resources they need in the other household. Indiana’s Child Support Guidelines exist to prevent both outcomes — but the guidelines are only as accurate as the data that goes into them.

Whether the matter involves a divorce, a paternity case, or a modification of an existing order, an experienced family law attorney in Evansville is essential to making sure the calculation reflects the full and accurate financial picture — and that the result is fair to the children it is meant to support.

Our Approach

How Ziemer & Ziemer Handles Child Support Cases

Getting the Calculator Inputs Right

Indiana child support is calculated using the Indiana Child Support Guidelines, and the court uses the Indiana Child Support Calculator to produce weekly payment estimates. The calculator requires specific data from both parents, and the final number is only as reliable as the accuracy of that data. Ziemer & Ziemer is well-versed in the guidelines and the calculator, and reviews every input carefully to make sure clients and their children are not shortchanged by errors or omissions.

The data points used to calculate child support in Indiana include:

- The gross weekly income of each parent
- The cost of childcare and daycare expenses
- The cost of health insurance coverage for the children
- Whether either parent has other children for whom they are financially responsible
- How the parents plan to divide their parenting time and custody arrangement
- Post-secondary education expenses, including college costs

That last point deserves attention. Child support in Indiana does not automatically end when a child turns 18. While a child is enrolled in college or post-secondary education, Indiana’s post-secondary education laws govern continued support obligations. Parents should understand those rules before agreeing to any support order.

Legal custody refers to the right to make major decisions about a child’s life — education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. Legal custody can be awarded solely to one parent or shared jointly between both.

Physical custody refers to where the child primarily lives and which parent is responsible for day-to-day care. Like legal custody, physical custody can be sole or shared.

Sole custody means one parent holds primary legal or physical custody. The other parent typically receives parenting time, but one parent carries the decision-making authority or the child primarily resides with one household.

Joint custody means both parents share legal or physical custody, or both. Joint arrangements require a workable level of communication and cooperation between parents. Indiana courts can order joint custody even when one parent objects, if the evidence supports it as the best arrangement for the child.

When the Guidelines Do Not Produce a Fair Result

Indiana courts are required to follow the Child Support Guidelines, and signed calculation worksheets must be filed as part of any support order. But the guidelines do not always produce a result that reflects the actual circumstances of a family. When the standard formula leads to an unfair outcome, Ziemer & Ziemer builds the legal and equitable argument for a departure — presenting the court with clear reasoning for why the guideline amount should be adjusted in a client’s favor.

Child support calculations arise in several different situations: divorcing parents establishing support for the first time, divorced parents seeking a modification based on changed circumstances, and unmarried parents establishing or modifying support through a paternity case. The approach is tailored to the situation, but the goal is always the same — a fair result that puts the children first.

WHY NOT GO IT ALONE

Can Parents Just Use the Online Calculator and Agree?

Indiana’s Child Support Calculator is publicly available, and some parents attempt to run their own numbers and reach an informal agreement. That approach carries real risk. The calculator is only as good as the inputs, and it is not difficult for one party to underreport income, omit expenses, or misrepresent the parenting time split in ways that shift the number significantly.

Once a child support order is entered by the court, modifying it requires demonstrating a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. An order that was entered based on inaccurate data — or that failed to account for post-secondary education obligations — can be very difficult to revisit. Having an attorney verify the inputs and the calculation before any order is finalized protects against outcomes that are hard to undo

WHY ZIEMER & ZIEMER

Ziemer & Ziemer: Focused on What the Numbers Mean for Your Children

Both Sides of Every Child Support Case

Ziemer & Ziemer represents clients seeking support and clients contesting or modifying support obligations. Regardless of which side of the case a client is on, the firm’s position is the same: the number that comes out of the process should accurately reflect the financial reality of both households and give children the resources they need to thrive in both. That standard applies whether the firm is arguing for a higher award or pushing back on an inflated demand.

Experience Across Divorce, Paternity, and Modification Cases

Jay Ziemer has handled child support matters across every context Indiana courts see — initial orders in divorce proceedings, support established through paternity cases, and modifications brought by parents whose circumstances have changed. That range of experience means clients are not navigating unfamiliar territory. The firm knows the guidelines, knows the calculator, and knows when to push for a departure from the standard result.

The Right Number Makes a Real Difference — Get It Right From the Start

Child support decisions made today follow families for years. Ziemer & Ziemer gives Evansville parents the experienced, honest legal counsel they need to make sure the calculation is accurate, the order is fair, and their children have what they need at both households.