Paying more than I should?

[supernatural]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MN

My court order is to pay 500 a month which is taken out of my paycheck. The last two months, May and June have had me paying her $750. They just keep taking out money from me every single pay check when she is supposed to receive $500 a month, not $250 out of EVERY pay check of mine.

May she was paid on May 4th, May 10th and May 19th. June she was paid the 2nd, 16th and the 30th. She's already been paid twice now in July.

Wouldn't they let me know if my payments have increased? It still says on the MN child support website that I pay her 500 a month but yet it even shows the "payments from you" is 3 times a month with each being $250.

Would I have to go to court over this?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Sounds like your companies payroll is screwing up. Call them. They should adjust for the error.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MN

My court order is to pay 500 a month which is taken out of my paycheck. The last two months, May and June have had me paying her $750. They just keep taking out money from me every single pay check when she is supposed to receive $500 a month, not $250 out of EVERY pay check of mine.

May she was paid on May 4th, May 10th and May 19th. June she was paid the 2nd, 16th and the 30th. She's already been paid twice now in July.

Wouldn't they let me know if my payments have increased? It still says on the MN child support website that I pay her 500 a month but yet it even shows the "payments from you" is 3 times a month with each being $250.

Would I have to go to court over this?

Normally the way that it works is that your yearly child support obligation is divided by the number of paychecks that you have annually, and therefore the support DOES come out of every paycheck.

However, your dates make no sense. May 4th to May 10th is only six days, May 10th to May 19th is only 9 days. So are you paid inconsistantly? The June dates make sense as they are 14 days apart.

The problem may be with your payroll department. They may be withholding a little incorrectly, and/or they may be inconsistant as to when they actually remit the support.

If you are paid every two weeks then your withholding should be as follows:

500.00 x 12 = 6000.00

6000.00/26 pay periods is approx. 231.00 per pay period.

 

[supernatural]

Do you think I'd be able to get "credit" for the extra payments?

 

[supernatural]

I just rounded it to an easier number. Technically I pay 261.72 every pay check.
I copied and pasted this from the website deleting my ex's name and my case number.
07/14/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
07/5/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/30/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72

06/16/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/02/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/19/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/10/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40
05/04/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40

I don't know if that helps but that's how it looks to me. All the months before that have been twice a month, usually taken out the first week and the third week of the month.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Call them and ask what the difference between that and $231 is. It might be poundage in part.

 

[TheGeekess]

I just rounded it to an easier number. Technically I pay 261.72 every pay check.
I copied and pasted this from the website deleting my ex's name and my case number.
07/14/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
07/5/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/30/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72

06/16/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/02/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/19/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/10/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40
05/04/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40

I don't know if that helps but that's how it looks to me. All the months before that have been twice a month, usually taken out the first week and the third week of the month.

That just shows what you've paid, not what she's received.

 

[LdiJ]

I just rounded it to an easier number. Technically I pay 261.72 every pay check.
I copied and pasted this from the website deleting my ex's name and my case number.
07/14/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
07/5/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/30/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72

06/16/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
06/02/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/19/2011 261.72 Income Withholding 261.72
05/10/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40
05/04/2011 258.40 Income Withholding 258.40

I don't know if that helps but that's how it looks to me. All the months before that have been twice a month, usually taken out the first week and the third week of the month.

If that was copied from the child support website that just shows when your company is remitting the money to the state, and your company is obviously doing it inconsistantly.

For your purposes you should be counting it as when it comes out of your paycheck. That means if you are paid every two weeks, then twice a year you would have three payrolls in the same month.

You might talk to your payroll department about this to make sure that they are handling the withholding correctly, as I outlined in my previous post.

 

[supernatural]

So two times a month I will be paying her more than just her allocated amount? The court papers give the exact amount which is $516.80 (The extra $5 or so that I pay now is because of the every two year adjusted thing that just came into place in May.) which is supposed to be divided into two payments every week. It even says that I pay her $6201.60 a year. That is written in the court papers with the clause saying every two years its adjusted.
I got the letter in the mail saying it increased but only by about $5 a month, nothing drastic at all.
Why would I be paying her every pay check then? If in 2 of the months, I got 3 paychecks, wouldn't they divide $516 into 3 paychecks?

Okay, I will talk to my work and find out the problem. Thank you.

Would it be better if I just pay the child support agency directly so I give them the exact amount each month without having to worry about a middle man?

 

[single317dad]

So two times a month I will be paying her more than just her allocated amount? The court papers give the exact amount which is $516.80 (The extra $5 or so that I pay now is because of the every two year adjusted thing that just came into place in May.) which is supposed to be divided into two payments every week. It even says that I pay her $6201.60 a year. That is written in the court papers with the clause saying every two years its adjusted.
I got the letter in the mail saying it increased but only by about $5 a month, nothing drastic at all.
Why would I be paying her every pay check then? If in 2 of the months, I got 3 paychecks, wouldn't they divide $516 into 3 paychecks?

Okay, I will talk to my work and find out the problem. Thank you.

Would it be better if I just pay the child support agency directly so I give them the exact amount each month without having to worry about a middle man?

Can you pay the support yourself or is this a garnishment order? Your employer is taking too much support from your check, but with an oddball pay schedule like that, I don't see how they could possibly get it right.

 

[CSO286]

Ok, here's the deal in your child support. If you are paid biweekly and your employer is doing your withholding biweekly, then yes, in two months out of the year, you ARE paying more than ordered. However, the rest of the time, you are not paying the full amount. See LDiJ's example on your total annual withholding. 231 twice a month isn't 500 dollars.
You fall behind a month in the two-payday m6000onths and get a bit ahead in the three payday months.

 

[mistoffolees]

If that was copied from the child support website that just shows when your company is remitting the money to the state, and your company is obviously doing it inconsistantly.

It's worse than that. If OP's information is correct, he's being paid on a bizarre schedule. There's no rhyme or reason to the payment schedule.

IFor your purposes you should be counting it as when it comes out of your paycheck. That means if you are paid every two weeks, then twice a year you would have three payrolls in the same month.

You might talk to your payroll department about this to make sure that they are handling the withholding correctly, as I outlined in my previous post.

Yep. OP should be having this discussion with his payroll department. Take a copy of the withholding order and sit down with the payroll person to ensure that over the course of a year, the correct amount is paid.

 

[LdiJ]

It's worse than that. If OP's information is correct, he's being paid on a bizarre schedule. There's no rhyme or reason to the payment schedule.



Yep. OP should be having this discussion with his payroll department. Take a copy of the withholding order and sit down with the payroll person to ensure that over the course of a year, the correct amount is paid.

I honestly think that he is getting paid biweekly, and his company is just being inconsistant as to when they are remitting it to the state. That is not at all unusual.

 

[CSO286]

I honestly think that he is getting paid biweekly, and his company is just being inconsistant as to when they are remitting it to the state. That is not at all unusual.

I agree with LDiJ, it happens all the time...Sometimes employers need prodding to remind them they must remit the support to the payment center within 7 days of the employee's payday.

 

[mistoffolees]

I honestly think that he is getting paid biweekly, and his company is just being inconsistant as to when they are remitting it to the state. That is not at all unusual.

But all the more reason OP needs to sit down with whoever is handling payroll for his company to get an accounting.

AND to remind them that the CS needs to be paid promptly.