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Posted on 11 February 2025 by Telelaw

How much child support should you claim or pay?
[caption id="attachment_7076" align="alignleft" width="230"] Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf – Advocate of the High Court of South Africa[/caption] It is not only mothers who want to know how much maintenance they should claim. Fathers are very much interested in wanting to know how much they should pay. It is my view that there is nothing wrong with a father wanting to know whether or not he is paying too much maintenance. This is so as it is both parent’s responsibilities to maintain a child according to their means. However, what I do have the issue with is when fathers try to avoid their maintenance obligations. Even if you are unemployed, you can still pay maintenance depending on your means. And then you have mothers who want to exploit the fathers. The same applies when the roles are reversed. This is when the father is the primary caregiver and the mother pays him child support. – Adv. Muhammad Abduroaf LL.B LL.M – Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. Purchase a Consultation with us from our Online Shop, by clicking here.

Common child maintenance questions

How much child support should I claim for my child?
How much child support should I pay for my children?
The father of my child is unemployed, should I still claim child support?

These are two questions which are posed to me regularly. But what is the answer? What follows are certain factors I use to determine the amount of child support my clients should claim or pay when dealing with a child support matter.

Factors to consider regarding child support amounts

There are many factors to consider when it comes to figures in child support matters. Some are common to most people. However, depending on the situation, they won’t be the same for everyone. Remember, the explanation below is provided for information purposes only. The formula I follow is as follows:

What are the reasonable monthly needs of the child? If you can place an amount to it, do so.
The monthly income and expenses of both parents. The assets of the parents should also be considered should they not have an income or be unemployed.
What can each parent reasonably contribute towards the monthly expenses of the child?

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Reasonable needs of a child – Basic Maintenance Question

The reasonable needs of a child include food, clothing, accommodation, medical expenses and so on. Depending on the standard of living of the parents, or what the child is accustomed to, as seen later, it could include extramural expenses, the upkeep of a pony, and piano lessons. Once you determined what the child’s needs are, and what the parents can afford, you can determine what each parent should contribute. This amount should factor in once off yearly expenses. For example, school fees, TV and Car licenses and membership fees and so on. Let me explain this by way of example. Purchase a Consultation with us from our Online Shop, by clicking here.

Income and expenses of child and parents

Child’s expense: R 1 000 – 00.
Custodian Parent’s income: R 10 000 – 00.
Custodian Parent’s monthly expenses: R 5 000 – 00.
Paying parent’s income: R 20 000 – 00.
Paying parent’s monthly expenses: R 10 000 – 00.

Considering the above example, the paying parent earns double that of the custodian parent. And his or her monthly expenses are proportionately the same as that of the has parent. Therefore, if all else being equal, his or her contribution should be double of that of the custodian parent. If the paying parent becomes unemployed, his maintenance obligations does nott come to an end. He may have other means. If he has a flashy car, he needs to downgrade and use some of that money for maintenance.

Final child maintenance amount:

The Paying parent would pay two thirds of the child’s expenses which equates to R 666 – 00 per month. And the custodian parent would thus cover the balance of R 334 – 00 per month. The R 666 – 00 would be less should he pay any of the minor child’s expenses directly. For example, medical aid or school fees.

The challenge regarding child maintenance amounts

The golden rule in all matters regarding children is that their best interest be upheld. However, in child maintenance matters it is not as easy as saying that the child needs to have the best of clothes, education, and food available. By taking this view, it would be as saying that during the parents’ marriage, or while the parents lived together, the child went to the best school in the area, wore the best of clothes and ate the best of food. This is so, notwithstanding the parents earning a far below average income. Such a legal approach would be nonsensical. Another challenge is when the paying parent is self-employed or unemployed. In the case of self-employed parents, their income varies. However, what we look at is the average they earn each month. For an unemployed parent, as stated, we look at their means.

Factors the Court considers in Child Maintenance Matters

Each child maintenance case is determined on its own merits by weighing various factors. There are certain overlapping factors. The factors to consider are:

The reasonable needs of the minor child;
The reasonable expenses of the parents;
The standard of living the child was accustomed to while the parties were married or living together (if applicable);
The earning capacity of the parents; and
The assets of the parents.

Therefore, it does not mean every 5-year-old child will require a child maintenance contribution of R 500 00 (five hundred rands). A contribution of R 500 – 00 for a specific 5-year-old child might be reasonable or even too high, depending on the circumstances. Let me provide you with two scenarios: Purchase a Consultation with us from our Online Shop, by clicking here.

Scenario A – Child Maintenance

A 5-year-old child’s parents each earns R 500 – 00 per month. They were bringing up the child perfectly under the circumstances with their modest standard of living which is the norm in the area they live in. Furthermore, this is the same standard the parents were accustomed to when they were raised by their parents. If they are to estimate the costs of the child, it would be about R 200 – 00 per month which goes to food, shelter, clothes etc. Should the parents separate or divorce, and, let’s say in this case, the mother claims maintenance from the father for child support, she would not have a case for more than R 150 – 00 per month. You might wonder why I don’t say R 100 – 00 per month seeing that the parents earned the same salary? The mother in this scenario had to find alternative accommodation, and therefore the child would require more maintenance (it could even be less).

Scenario B – Child Maintenance

Let’s say the parents of a 5-year-old child each earns R 50 000 – 00 per month. The child has an au pair, own room, policies in his or her favour, expensive clothes, medical aid, expensive creams, attends ballet and violin classes etc. The monthly costs of this child are about R 25 000 – 00 per month. Should the parents separate, a claim for maintenance could easily be in the region of R 15 000 – 00. R 14 850 – 00 more than the 5-year-old child in the previous scenario above. The amount to pay therefore all depends on the facts, circumstances etc. To make things more complicated, if the mother in this scenario have assets worth millions and the father only owns a car of R 100 000 – 00, his contribution could be far less than R 15 000 – 00, even if they have the same monthly salary. It is even possible that his contribution could be R 150 – 00 (and not R 15 000 – 00) as in the case of scenario A above. All these factors have to be discussed with your maintenance lawyer or advocate. I hope this gave you a feel for how child support or child maintenance is calculated. Therefore, in answering the questions posed above, i.e. How much child support should you claim for your child, and how much child maintenance should you pay; the answer is, it depends on the facts.

Other maintenance calculation views

You or your attorney or advocate might have one view on what the amount should be, however the other parent or the maintenance court might have a totally different view. I therefore strongly advise that you first consult with a maintenance lawyer or advocate, or the maintenance court before submitting your amount to the court. In complicated cases, an advocate may be approached by your attorney for an opinion. Sharing is Caring This and other articles and posts found on this website are written by Adv. Muhammad Abduroaf to assist people with various family law related issues they may have. If you find any of our articles and posts interesting, or possibly useful to others, please link and share it on Social media.

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Posted on 11 February 2025 by Telelaw

Support – Frequently Asked Questions on Child Maintenance
Support and Child Maintenance: We proud ourselves on our knowledge on family law matters in South Africa. This includes issues and questions surrounding child maintenance. Feel free to browse through the this or question and answers below. Should you not find the answer to a child maintenance question you are look for, feel free to post your divorce question here.

Child Maintenance links

How much is the average child support a parent must pay Cape Town?

There is no average. It all depends on the needs of the child and the income of the parents.

How much do you get for child support in Cape Town?

It depends on the income of the parents and the needs of the child.

How do you determine the amount of child support?

You look at the needs of the child, and the parent’s income and expenses.

What is the average amount for child support?

There is no average amount. It depends on the facts of the case.

How much child support will I get in Cape Town?

It all depends on your income and standard of living of you and the child.

Is South African an alimony state?

Yes, it is possible that a court makes and order that alimony be paid. It all depends on the

Can you ask for retroactive child support?

Yes it is possible. Whether the court grants it would depends on the facts of the case.

How much is minimum wage in Cape Town?

This website does not deal with that question.

What percentage do they take out of your salary for child support?

If there is a garnishee order against your salary, they will take off what the court ordered.

How do you calculate child support in Town?

Have a look at other parts of this website for a detailed answer. The simple answer is that the Court looks at your income, assets etc, and that of the mother and the child and come to a fair amount.

Who is the obligor in child support?

The person who should pay child support.

Do I have to pay child support if I have 50 50 custody?

It is possible if the other parent earns less than you.

How much is child support for two children?

It depends on the facts of the case. You should look at the earnings of the parents and the needs of the child.

How much do you have to pay in child support?

It depends on the needs of the child and the earnings or means of the parents.

What percentage of custody is every other weekend?

This question does not fall under child support. Please search for the answer on another part of this website.

How does child support work when parents live in different provinces?

The basic principle is the same. They should pay according to their means and the needs of the child.

When can you modify a child support order?

When there is a case for it. Usually when more money is needed or one parent cannot afford the order.

Do you have to pay child support after a child turns 18?

If the child is still in need of support, then the answer is yes.

How long will it take to get my child support?

This depends on the relevant court and case. It can take a few months.

How can I get my child support payments lowered?

You would need to apply to court for a variation of the child support order.

What is your monthly gross income?

The total sum you receive, before deductions. Can you get child support arrears dropped?

You would need to approach the court and prove your case. What is the definition of gross income?

The total income before deductions.

How do you find your gross income?

Your salary slip should have it.

How do I calculate my monthly salary?

Look at all you income for the month.

How do you calculate adjusted gross income?

Your salary slip should have that information in it.

How do you figure out your net income?

You take your gross income, and deduct medical aid, pension, tax etc.

How do you calculate monthly income when you get paid biweekly?

You add all your income for the month.

What is the net annual income?

The amount you earned for the year after deductions.

What is my gross annual income?

The total amount you got paid before deductions.

How do you work out your weekly pay?

Add all your income for the week.

What is the definition of net income?

The total income after deductions.

How do you determine your net pay?

You first deduct tax, medical aid, etc.

What is the definition of total income?

All your income.

Is total earned income gross or net?

Gross income.

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