Section 518A.36 Parenting Expense Adjustment

MINNESOTA STATUTES AND CODES

Section 518A.36 Parenting Expense Adjustment

518A.36 PARENTING EXPENSE ADJUSTMENT.

Subdivision 1.General.

(a) The parenting expense adjustment under this section reflects the presumption that while exercising parenting time, a parent is responsible for and incurs costs of caring for the child, including, but not limited to, food, transportation, recreation, and household expenses. Every child support order shall specify the percentage of parenting time granted to or presumed for each parent. For purposes of this section, the percentage of parenting time means the percentage of time a child is scheduled to spend with the parent during a calendar year according to a court order. Parenting time includes time with the child whether it is designated as visitation, physical custody, or parenting time. The percentage of parenting time may be determined by calculating the number of overnights that a child spends with a parent, or by using a method other than overnights if the parent has significant time periods on separate days where the child is in the parent's physical custody and under the direct care of the parent but does not stay overnight. The court may consider the age of the child in determining whether a child is with a parent for a significant period of time.

(b) If there is not a court order awarding parenting time, the court shall determine the child support award without consideration of the parenting expense adjustment. If a parenting time order is subsequently issued or is issued in the same proceeding, then the child support order shall include application of the parenting expense adjustment.

Subd. 2.Calculation of parenting expense adjustment.

The obligor is entitled to a parenting expense adjustment calculated as provided in this subdivision. The court shall:

(1) find the adjustment percentage corresponding to the percentage of parenting time allowed to the obligor below:

	Percentage Range of Parenting Time	Adjustment Percentage
(i)	less than 10 percent	no adjustment
(ii)	10 percent to 45 percent	12 percent
(iii)	45.1 percent to 50 percent	presume parenting time is equal

(2) multiply the adjustment percentage by the obligor's basic child support obligation to arrive at the parenting expense adjustment; and

(3) subtract the parenting expense adjustment from the obligor's basic child support obligation. The result is the obligor's basic support obligation after parenting expense adjustment.

Subd. 3.Calculation of basic support when parenting time presumed equal.

(a) If the parenting time is equal and the parental incomes for determining child support of the parents also are equal, no basic support shall be paid unless the court determines that the expenses for the child are not equally shared.

(b) If the parenting time is equal but the parents' parental incomes for determining child support are not equal, the parent having the greater parental income for determining child support shall be obligated for basic child support, calculated as follows:

(1) multiply the combined basic support calculated under section 518A.34 by 0.75;

(2) prorate the amount under clause (1) between the parents based on each parent's proportionate share of the combined PICS; and

(3) subtract the lower amount from the higher amount.

The resulting figure is the obligation after parenting expense adjustment for the parent with the greater parental income for determining child support.