Divorce Arizona Child Support

Divorce Papers > Divorce Child Support > Arizona

A parent must file a formal request in the court requesting the court to issue an order that mentions the amount of child support. Prior to the order of child support, the custody of children must be determined. If the parents of the child were never married, then it is also essential to establish paternity.

There are 3 ways to establish child support in Arizona.

  • Representing self in court
  • Hiring a lawyer to represent yourself in court
  • Requesting the Division of Child Support Enforcement to draft a child support order on behalf of the child

Calculator for Divorce Arizona Child Support

Child support amount can be calculated using the 2005 Child Support Calculator. This is an interactive PDF document that has been developed considering the Child Support Guidelines of this state that are effective from 1st January 2005. Prior to using this calculator, it is essential to collect the following data, if it is applicable to the case at hand.

  • Gross income of father as well as mother
  • Childcare expenses
  • Vision or Dental or Medical expenses (of children)
  • Amount of spousal support (this may be paid or received)
  • Court ordered child support amounts meant for children from other relationships
  • Court ordered arrears to be disbursed by the non custodial parent
  • Number of 'parenting time' days during the complete year
  • Month and year of youngest child's birthday
  • Number of children who have crossed their 12th birthday
  • Extraordinary child expenditures
  • Expenses for extra education
This calculator generates the parent's worksheet for child support amount.

Enforcement of Divorce Arizona Child Support

If the parent fails to disburse the child support amounts as per the court order, this parent can be subjected to the following actions.

  • Worker's compensation intercept
  • Unemployment insurance benefit intercept
  • Lottery winning intercept
  • Reporting to the Credit bureau
  • Denial of passport
  • Seizure of bank account
  • Intercepts of tax refund (both federal and state)
  • Suspension of licenses like recreational, professional and driver's
  • Liens on motor vehicles as well as real and personal property
  • Court action that may lead to imprisonment
The Child Support Order

Let us assume that the court has established the child support amount. Further, the court issues a court order that has the signature of a judicial officer. The parent must retain a copy of this order for his/her records. Alternatively, the parent can procure some copies of this order from the clerk of the Superior Court.

The child support court order consists of the following data.

  • Who should disburse the child support amount?
  • The amount of child support that must be paid
  • The date on which the payment of child support should be initiated
Along with the Child Support order, the court also issues 'An Order of Assignment.' This is also known as 'Income Withholding Order.' A copy of this order is forwarded to the parent's (who would pay child support) employer. In this order, the employer is directed to withhold the amount of child support from the paycheck of the employee (i.e. the parent).

The employer should dispatch the money to the Support Payment Clearinghouse. This method must be adhered to regarding all child support payments. This amount must never be given by one parent to other directly. If any direct payment is made, there is no record of such a payment. Consequently, the child support payment records will have some arrears in payment that results in action against the parent obliged to disburse child support.

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