In Nevada, parental child support obligations are governed by Chapter 125B of the Nevada Revised Statutes and Chapter 425 of the Nevada Administrative Code. All parents have a duty to provide their children with necessary maintenance, health care, education and support, regardless of marital status. The duty of support continues until a child is 18 years old, or until a child is 19 years old if the child is still attending high school. A parent’s obligations to support a child may extend indefinitely for a “handicapped” child.
Nevada’s child support formula is set forth in NAC 425.140 as follows:
NAC 425.140 Schedule for determining base child support obligation based on number of children and monthly gross income of obligor.
Except as otherwise provided in NAC 425.145, the base child support obligation of an obligor must be determined according to the following schedule:
- For one child, the sum of:
- For the first $6,000 of an obligor’s monthly gross income, 16 percent of such income;
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $6,000 and equal to or less than $10,000, 8 percent of such a portion; and
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $10,000, 4 percent of such a portion.
- For two children, the sum of:
- For the first $6,000 of an obligor’s monthly gross income, 22 percent of such income;
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $6,000 and equal to or less than $10,000, 11 percent of such a portion; and
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $10,000, 6 percent of such a portion.
- For three children, the sum of:
- For the first $6,000 of an obligor’s monthly gross income, 26 percent of such income;
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $6,000 and equal to or less than $10,000, 13 percent of such a portion; and
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $10,000, 6 percent of such a portion.
- For four children, the sum of:
- For the first $6,000 of an obligor’s monthly gross income, 28 percent of such income;
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $6,000 and equal to or less than $10,000, 14 percent of such a portion; and
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $10,000, 7 percent of such a portion.
- For each additional child, the sum of:
- For the first $6,000 of an obligor’s monthly gross income, an additional 2 percent of such income;
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $6,000 and equal to or less than $10,000, an additional 1 percent of such a portion; and
- For any portion of an obligor’s monthly gross income that is greater than $10,000, an additional 0.5 percent of such a portion.
If an obligor is underemployed or unemployed without good cause, the Court is authorized to impute income.
The Nevada Administrative Code also outlines the factors a Court shall consider when adjusting the amount of child support, including any special educational needs of the child; the legal responsibility of the parties for the support of others; the value of services contributed by either party; any public assistance paid to support the child; the cost of transportation of the child to and from visitation; the relative income of both households, so long as the adjustment does not exceed the total obligation of the other party; any other necessary expenses for the benefit of the child; and the obligor’s ability to pay.
When parties share joint physical custody of a child, child support is established by determining the child support obligation of each party, and then offsetting the higher child support obligation from the lower child support obligation.
The State of Nevada has made available a free web application tool to estimate the child support obligations guidelines at: https://nvchildsupportguidelinescalculator.azurewebsites.net/
The Cooley Law Firm will explain how child support is calculated in the State of Nevada so that you understand likely outcomes in Court. The Cooley Law Firm can also help you modify child support orders in certain circumstances. If you would like to further discuss child support, contact The Cooley Law Firm at (702) 265-4505 to schedule a consultation.
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