The drafters of the revised child support guidelines felt it was necessary to more completely define actual child care expenses in the Revised Iowa Child Support Guidelines. They did so in Rule 9.11A. First, the drafters defined what are “child care expenses” by saying that this term means expenses for the children in the pending case that are reasonably necessary for the parent to work, attend school or training activities, or conduct a job search. The drafters of the Revised Guidelines, however, felt that these costs should be reduced by any third party reimbursements and anticipated child care tax credits and that this rule would not apply in certain situations such as joint physical care arrangements or when the non-custodial parent falls into the low income category, as defined in the Guidelines.
The Guidelines state that actual child care expenses are allowed as a deduction against the income of the person who pays the child care expense. The Rule also allows the court to allow a change in the child support guideline amount because of the child care expenses. It is important to speak with a family law attorney to understand the recent revisions to the Iowa Child Support Guidelines regarding this issue. Should you require additional information on this topic, please feel free to contact Simpson Legal Group, LLC at (712) 256-9899.