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Quitting my job to stay home with new kids

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MickeyMouse7

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

I am trying to get some advice. I currently have 50/50 placement with my ex for my 3 kids. I still pay a significant amount of money in child support because I have a good job and my ex works at a minimum wage job 9 months out of the year. I am getting remarried and my fiance and I are planning on having kids.

When my fiance and I have kids I am considering quitting my job to stay home and be a homemaker. Would I still be responsible for paying child support after I quit my job? My new income would be zero (since I stay at home) and the custody and placement schedule is 50/50. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 


cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
So you think that after you quit your job your kids will no longer need food, clothing and a roof over their heads?
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

I am trying to get some advice. I currently have 50/50 placement with my ex for my 3 kids. I still pay a significant amount of money in child support because I have a good job and my ex works at a minimum wage job 9 months out of the year. I am getting remarried and my fiance and I are planning on having kids.

When my fiance and I have kids I am considering quitting my job to stay home and be a homemaker. Would I still be responsible for paying child support after I quit my job? My new income would be zero (since I stay at home) and the custody and placement schedule is 50/50. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Yes, you would.

You would also be considered voluntarily unemployed. There would likely be no downward deviation. As cbg is hinting, your kids won't need to eat less just because you a) choose to stop working and b) have more kids.

As a general piece of advice: "don't breed what you can't - or won't - feed".
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

I am trying to get some advice. I currently have 50/50 placement with my ex for my 3 kids. I still pay a significant amount of money in child support because I have a good job and my ex works at a minimum wage job 9 months out of the year. I am getting remarried and my fiance and I are planning on having kids.

When my fiance and I have kids I am considering quitting my job to stay home and be a homemaker. Would I still be responsible for paying child support after I quit my job? My new income would be zero (since I stay at home) and the custody and placement schedule is 50/50. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Of course you will still be responsible for paying child support. You will be VOLUNTARILY unemployed. Most judges consider your ability to work and impute an income based on your ability to earn for the purpose of determining child support.

Your choice not to work should not penalize your children who are still entitled on that support. Nor should you make your existing children suffer the hardship that your voluntary lack of income will cause due to your own choice to have more children.

If you choose to have more children, that is your decision. But if you cannot afford to stay home now and still support the children you already have, why should you get to benefit from that choice later on?
 

nextwife

Senior Member
If ex is voluntarilly under or unemployed, they too spuld be factored child support at a full time, year round income based on what they could earn.
 
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Just because I'm curious - to me it sounds as though future husand will be supporting her & all her (and later, his) kids during their 50% of the time. Why is it horrible to want to have the dad support his kids during his own 50% (at least mostly)? I get that she'd have to pay something, but why the exact same amount as now? Is that just to discourage people from doing the SAHM thing or from flaking out on their CS.

** not saying I agree or disagree - just trying to understand here**
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
Just because I'm curious - to me it sounds as though future husand will be supporting her & all her (and later, his) kids during their 50% of the time. Why is it horrible to want to have the dad support his kids during his own 50% (at least mostly)? I get that she'd have to pay something, but why the exact same amount as now? Is that just to discourage people from doing the SAHM thing or from flaking out on their CS.

** not saying I agree or disagree - just trying to understand here**


Because the other parent is already considered to be supporting the children.

Why should they pick up the slack if the paying parent decides to quit work?
 

mistoffolees

Senior Member
Just because I'm curious - to me it sounds as though future husand will be supporting her & all her (and later, his) kids during their 50% of the time. Why is it horrible to want to have the dad support his kids during his own 50% (at least mostly)? I get that she'd have to pay something, but why the exact same amount as now? Is that just to discourage people from doing the SAHM thing or from flaking out on their CS.

** not saying I agree or disagree - just trying to understand here**
It has nothing to do with discouraging SAHMs. It is simply to try to discourage people from using "I quit my job" as an excuse to not support their own kids. There is a current child support order and there needs to be a reason to change it. "I want to stay home" is not a valid reason.
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
Ok that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.


Besides - nobody is saying that being a SAHP is a bad thing, nor that one shouldn't do it if that's what one wants to (and can afford to) do.

After all - the supporting spouse would surely help the SAHP pay their child support obligation, right?

Nobody loses anything - win/win! :)
 

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