<p>My daughter is a not from a marriage, her NCP went on to become a DR. But since we were together when he was not a DR and not married my child support is from my state AG and very low compared to his income. He states he will not help pay for college. How much will his income as a DR hurt our FASFA? </p>
<p>Is this the daughter who will be going into 6th grade? I don’t know the answer to your question, but it is good that you are planning ahead and trying to gather information and answers. </p>
<p>Yes, she is going into 6th grade but going into 7th grade math.</p>
<p>I imagine you have already looked into this, but is there any way that you can get the child support amount changed since his financial circumstances have improved?</p>
<p>First, for FAFSA only your income will be used. So for any schools that just rely on FAFSA and not anything else you don’t have any issues. But many colleges, private colleges especially, will also ask for information on both parents, either through the CSS Profile or their own documents.</p>
<p>His occupation doesn’t factor into it. Financial aid for college is just based on income. I have never heard of child support that couldn’t be adjusted for changes in parental income. That doesn’t mean it might not happen, but in most cases, the child support is based on current income. Maybe you are thinking of alimony or something. So, the child support needs to be adjusted. If you are going to use an attorney for that, ask him about provisions for college to go to the court as well. </p>
<p>I tried to get the child support changed but the state said NO</p>
<p>@GunsUp: can you consult with an attorney about this to make sure that the State is right?</p>
<p>There is a chance the requirements for NCP info may change within the next 6 years… </p>
<p>There is also the chance that your state could force the father to pay some amount for college (if not now, then in about few years, as the laws are moving on this direction). Get a lawyer. </p>
<p>I find it strange that the support isnt increased as the dad makes more money. Never being married is irrelevant. Also the fact that his income was less during the relationship is irrelevant.</p>
<p>My SIL got little support award when she divorced with 2 kids. Her ex was still in college at the time. However, as he became a professional (CPA), support awards were increased on a regular basis.</p>
<p>The fact that that case involved a divorce is irrelevant. Child support amounts have nothing to do with whether parents were ever married.</p>
<p>I think the OP needs to consult an atty NOW. </p>
<p>^^ This is usually a court matter. Call 3 attorney’s and you should get a free 15 or 20 minute consult. Try to get referrals, competencies of atty’s vary so much. I didn’t use the State to get support. I got an atty. He also had to pay my atty fees.</p>
<p>Now in my state (CA) there is a child support estimator online. It is based on current income and certain other limited payments/expenses…</p>
<p>OP, please consult an attorney. Check for some legal services that are free or low cost to find out if you can get your support increased. There may be a reason why you were given the answer you were, and it may be the fact, but you need to know for sure and understand why it cannot be increased, if indeed that is the case That is NOT the way it usually works, or ever works, from what I have seen.</p>
<p>The way it works for colleges is that only you, the custodial parent will need to fill out the FAFSA for federal aid, but the schools that use FAFSA only do not guarantee to meet full need, and most often do not. You are guaranteed to get PELL grant up to $5700 a year and that is the max amount this year for a ZERO EFC. You are also permitted to borrow up to $5500 in Direct loans. I am using “you” for the student. That is IT for what are entitlements. The rest is entirely up to the schools. </p>
<p>The schools that tend to meet full need, tend to ask for PROFILE and most of them want the NCP financial info too, and that your child’s father refuses to pay, is not taken into account No one would pay if it were. Parents, including a NCP, won’t pay, and the money is right there in terms of financials, your child gets aid commensurate to what you and the father can pay, by formula. Nothing to do with willingness, or even if you have the money–some well heeled folks spend all of their money. THat’s too bad too. </p>
<p>One of my closest friends was married to a physician, and he refused to pay a dime. Didn’t have to either. In that state child support ends at age 18 or high school grad. Though the father made over a half million dollars, he stopped any and all support the day he could. Refused to even give out his financial info, not that it mattered since the kids wouldn’t have gotten any aid with those numbers anyways They had a zero EFC which meant PELL , Direct Loans and the school did kick in some money, but they went to state school, and one commuted. Both worked a lot of hours during the school year and summer to make it work. </p>
<p>So though your DD won’t need her father’s financial info for the FAFSA, for many of those schools that tend to give the best aid, she will need his info to get that aid. </p>
<p>Is it possible that the father has significant student loans and that when the state reevaluated there wasn’t much more to get? A friend of ours who recently sued his ex wife for child support said the court came to a number based on a percentage of what she was paying for herself to live on her take home pay (after health insurance, union dues, and other payroll deductions). I know credit card debt didn’t count in the mother’s favor as a mitigating factor, but I’m not sure about student loans. </p>
<p>The OP says support is very low. Unless his income is quite modest for a MD, then likely his loan payments arent so much that his remaining income is so low that an increase in support couldn’t be ordered. </p>
<p>We can guess all day about the reasons for low support. The OP is the only one who can find out the real scoop. </p>
<p>I will start looking for an attorney. I will post any updates. Once again, thank you CC members. </p>
<p>The child support is low relative to his income. It our state (through the AG office) , the max one can pay for child support tops at 1500.00 and that is what I am getting regardless of his income. When his child support was raised through the AG when we went from a nephrology fellow to a practicing physician. He stated that if I have his child support increased to the max (1500.00) then he will not contribute for her college. He has since had another child and states he could get the child support lowered from 1500.00 because that is with him not having anymore children All of this is from our state AG office. I really never had an attorney. I will start looking for an attorney on Monday. </p>
<p>You might ask the AG’s office what your options are before you begin an action. I don’t know what state you live in but $1500/mo for one child is not a low amount, especially since he does have another child. If payments through the AG’s office are capped at $1500, it may be that courts in your state don’t often award more. It would also be nice to know if your state requires child support for children over 18. You might be able to come to an agreement with her father to continue to pay the $1500 but also put some money into a 529 plan for her.</p>
<p>What I have seen is that what a NCP states he will pay for college is usually hot air, unless some arrangement of actually putting the cash away in fund that the NCP cannot access is happening My friend, whose ex is a highly paid surgeon, never really gave it much thought about college, as he was involved with the children and there were funds through UGMA/UTMA arrangements. As highly educated as her ex is, and the value he seemed to put on education, it never occurred to her that he’d refuse to pay simply because the state of PA where they lived ended child support at age 18 or high school grad. She had no idea he was paying for their private school during K-12 and other allowable expense from those UGMA/UTMA funds since he was the one handling them, and that those funds would be depleted by the time the kids were ready for college. </p>
<p>Don’t even ask me why someone making a half million a year and who is involved with his children, with his education the way it is, whose children love him, etc, etc, would refuse to pay for college. But he did, and he could. Yep. Wouldn’t pay a dime. He would play Santa Claus with generous gifts, vacations, all with stipulated strings attached, always was that way, bought daughter an expensive baby grand piano for birthday, that sort of thing Bottom line, he refused to pay for college but would provide son with a sports car and later offered up a boat, all in joint name with him so that it could not be sold, just used. </p>
<p>So when this, “I won’t pay for college if child support increase demands are made” line goes no where with me, unless that money goes somewhere very secure and specified amounts are put on the line. Nope Don’t buy that one a bit. </p>
<p>OP needs to get legal advice and find out exactly what alternatives are available. IMO, the liklihood of this parent paying much of his NPC institutional EFC for a high priced school are very low, just about non existent. The noises he is making are that of duck, and if it quacks like a duck…well. That duck ain’t paying, IMO. Look into schools that do not require NPC financials, scholarships, affordable options, as that may be the route you have to take If a change of heart comes, it’s a bonus, but I would not bet a dime or pin any homes on that. </p>
<p>Will that $1500 a month in child support continue until this student is either 21 or finishes college…or will it end at age 18? </p>
<p>If it continues through college, that $18,000 a year can be diverted to college expenses. </p>