For the first time in 26 years, Ohio has updated its Child Support Guidelines through House Bill 366. The last update was in 1992 and much has changed since then. The changes to Ohio’s child support guidelines will go into effect as of March 2019. The primary goal of the new Ohio child support guidelines is to update the economic tables used for child support calculations. Updates to these calculations will provide more accurate child support payments. Over the past 26 years, the cost of living and the cost of raising children has changed. The current Ohio child support formulas use data from 1980s calculations.

In addition, the child support guidelines in Ohio will change to be better aligned with the Affordable Care Act. For example, if a parent earns $50,000 per year in income and pays $5,000 annually for health insurance for their child(ren), the income figure used to calculate child support payments will be $45,000 (the annual income of the parent paying support, minus any health care costs that parent is paying).

HB 366 also brings new parenting time considerations into the calculations to account for costs that travel with the child. Ohio’s new child support calculation will take into account parent contributions during shared parenting time. The new law specifies a 10% parenting time adjustment for all standard parenting time orders (which is approximately every other weekend and one night per week or 90 overnights per year). Note though, if the child support obligor does not exercise their court ordered parenting time, the parent receiving child support can request that this parenting time adjustment to child support be eliminated by the court.

For child support payors who pay multiple child support orders to different obligees, Ohio’s March 2019 child support update will do away with the current multiple support order hierarchy. Currently, the first child to receive child support receives the most. With the upcoming 2019 changes, Ohio’s goal is to ensure that each child receiving support receives the same financial benefits. HB 366 will treat all children equally by providing a standard income deduction.

Will the Changes to Ohio Child Support Be Retroactively Applied?

The changes to Ohio’s child support laws will not be retroactively applied. These updated calculations and considerations will be assessed for new orders or for reviews of current child support orders in place.

This article provides a broad overview of the changes to Ohio’s child support laws in 2019, and is not a complete analysis of the 2019 changes in Ohio. Every person’s custody and support situation is unique. The best way to gain a true assessment of your own child support case is to contact an attorney. This article is not intended to be specific legal advice.

Please call Shur Law for a free consultation to discuss the specifics of your case and how the upcoming child support changes in Ohio may affect you 513-448-4099.