Court can Impute Income To a Parent When Reduction in Income is Voluntary

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Bethany D. Harris vs. Douglas L. Harris 

A calculation of child support and maintenance requires the court to ascertain the income of both parties. Changes in income by a parent or spouse can significantly affect how much support is paid and received by lesser-earning spouses and children. 

In child support cases, the court is allowed to impute additional income to a parent when that parent voluntarily reduces income to avoid or diminish child support obligations. Income can also be imputed to a parent if that parent voluntarily reduces income because they no longer choose to support the family in the same manner as they did during the marriage, without any other reasonable justification. Making sure a court uses the correct amount of income to calculate child support and maintenance is essential to ensuring a fair and equitable outcome to your case. Joe Lambson has helped hundreds of families across Missouri establish or modify support orders to correctly account for a parent’s or former spouse’s income.

Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District – WD84946