For parents in Calabasas navigating a child support order, the base guideline amount is rarely the full picture. California law mandates that certain expenses—specifically work-related childcare and uninsured health care costs—be ordered as additional child support on top of the base figure . Understanding how these “add-ons” are calculated, allocated, and reimbursed is critical, especially because the rules governing them changed significantly in September 2024.
💰 Childcare Costs: A Mandatory Add-On
If a parent incurs childcare costs to work, look for work, or attend school or job training, those expenses are mandatory additional support . The court must order them unless they were already baked into the guideline calculation itself.
The key shift under the 2024 updates (SB 343) is how the costs are split. Previously, the default was a 50/50 split. Now, the law presumes that childcare costs should be shared in proportion to each parent’s net disposable income . For a higher-earning parent in Calabasas, this often means shouldering a larger percentage of the daycare or after-school bill than under the old rule. The law also establishes a rebuttable presumption that work-related childcare costs are reasonable . A local child support lawyer in Calabasas, CA can help evaluate custody arrangements, explain California’s guideline calculations, and determine whether a modification may be appropriate.
🏥 Health Insurance and Uninsured Medical Costs
Health insurance premiums are treated differently from other add-ons. Rather than being a separate reimbursable expense, the cost of premiums is typically factored directly into the guideline calculation (often as a deduction from the paying parent’s income) .
However, uninsured health care costs—co-pays, deductibles, prescriptions, orthodontia, therapy, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses—are mandatory add-ons . Just like childcare, the post-2024 rule allocates these costs proportionally based on each parent’s adjusted net disposable income, rather than a flat 50/50 split .
There is a strict 90-day deadline for the parent who paid the bill to provide the other parent with an itemized statement requesting reimbursement . Missing this window can jeopardize your ability to recover the other parent’s share. If a parent disputes a charge, they generally must pay it first and then seek relief from the court, rather than simply withholding payment .
📋 What This Means for Your Calabasas Case
In practice, these rules mean that a child support order in Calabasas must be read carefully to distinguish between the “base” support and the mandatory add-ons. If you are the higher earner, you may be ordered to cover a disproportionate share of childcare and medical bills. If you are the primary custodial parent, you need to meticulously track and document these expenses to ensure you receive proper reimbursement within the statutory deadlines.
If you are negotiating a new order or modifying an existing one, a divorce attorney in Calabasas familiar with the Los Angeles County courts can help you correctly calculate the proportional shares and ensure the order clearly defines what expenses are covered.