Child Support, Imputed Income and Income from Relatives

My ex and I have a separation agreement that outlines how we handle child support. We use the calculator on Rosen’s website to calculate child support. She quit her job at the beginning of the pandemic and has been unemployed for the past 1.5 years.

She got help from her parents and lives in a condo her parents own. She recently got a new part-time job and disclosed her new income to me, but it would result in a doubling of my child support to her.

Can I impute income to her, would she get income imputed by a judge? What about financial support from her parents? Can that be considered income when it comes to child support calculations… especially if she gets regular support from them?

Income can be imputed to someone who is unemployed or underemployed in bad faith. The key to imputation is “bad faith.”

Financial help from parents or other sources does count as income to a parent for child support purposes.


Anna Ayscue

Attorney with Rosen Law Firm Cary • Chapel Hill • Durham • Raleigh • Wake Forest

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