Background Info: I've read most all threads and have been involved in the CS Guideline detail since 2011.
Assume Shared Residency in this thread. Give me feedback after you read this, do you agree with how to handle the Activities (sport, art), Direct Exp., Childcare as I outline below. Lots of parents on here keep asking here and perhaps disagreeing with Ex about who should pay for Direct Exp. and activities.
So, break down the following items probably include everything that could be split except for Healthcare/Health Insurance – which is not under debate and handled differently.
1) Ordinary sports, premier sports (expensive ones), fine arts, and other extracurricular (probably technically Indirect Exp) Note that from all the threads I've read here and looking at 2016 Guidelines, all of these items are included in the total Child Support Obligation.
2) Childcare – in Shared Residency is normally covered by each parent on their own week (thus 50-50)
3) All Direct Expenses – these items are also included in the total CS Obligation. This does not include anything in #1. That is why a parent who pays 100% of Direct Exp and gets CS payment gets a ton of money --- it is supposed to cover a lot of things. Us parents who pay CS know this all too well.
All of the costs of the 3 above are included in the total CS Obligation, but not necessarily in the CS PAYMENT (unless a parent has full Residency or is being paid as they have full residency like the 2008 80/20 rule did). Just because one person pays 300, 500, or 800 dollars per month to the other parent does not mean the recipient parent has to pay for more than half of any of the 3 items.
The reason: Example, (1) Each parent making the same income will each have, in their own bank account, the amounts required to pay all of the 4 items. Forget about health insurance or other odd things, those do not matter for this thread. Example (2) if one parent makes far greater amount than the other parent under the same assumptions (Shared Residency and Shared Direct Exp.), after the CS payment is made, the households then have, in their bank accounts, the proper amount the same as if they made the same income. Thus sharing the 3 items half and half hurts neither parent.
It appears this should not be debated anymore, however the experts (some) seem to disagree with each other somewhat. I do thank all the people who have shared their thoughts, as it has helped me understand it well enough to make a fair CS Modification proposal and hopefully stay out of court!
So, who is to "pay" for all these things in Shared Residency and shared direct expenses? Both parents equally! The only way one parent would be required to pay for MORE than half would be if they have more than half of the CS Obligation. Suggestion: calculate your % of total CS Obligation you receive and that should be (crazy thought??) the percent you cover for items 1, 2, and 3.
