Do you have any idea how transportation costs might be calculated for child support?
My ex has stated it costs him $200 to drive from Charlotte to Savannah, but it doesn’t cost me that much to drive from Orlando to Charlotte and back.
Would child support use a quoted figure like that? I would imagine that there is a set amount per mile, something like $0.45/mile or something.
If it is requested by a party a judge may include transportation expenses in the “extraordinary expense” section of the child support worksheet. The amount is based on what a party can prove, you should question your ex about the $200.00 claim and ask that he submit receipts to verify the true cost. There is no set amount per mile that the courts use as a standard rate, however you may try and convince the court to use the reimbursement rate set by state agencies for their employees.
I did some research on the net about this topic. It seems relocation as it relates to child custody is a hot topic at the moment.
Anyway, I saw something that I thought was a great idea and wanted to share it.
In the case that I was reading about, the NCP had to submit receipts for travel to the CP and she reimbursed the NCP for 50%.
Why shouldn’t travel work the same way as medical expenses?
The great thing about this arrangement, from my perspective, is that the CP does not get credit for travel that may not occur. My ex didn’t exercise visitation when we lived 15 minutes away and I doubt he will exercise much now that we are 8 hours away. I don’t want to see him get his child support reduced for travel that most likely won’t happen.
Another factor is that the cost of travel can vary widely depending on the cost of gasoline. If we were to determine a set amount now, that vary drastically from actual costs several months from now.
The final factor for me is that my ex has never reimbursed me for medical expenses. He owes me $2200.00 for just the past two years at the moment. He shouldn’t get the benefit of reduced child support while I am paying all the medical expenses without any reimbursment. I will be filing a show of cause for these, but there will be more medical expenses.