Im starting to like our system up here. You can negotiate it without a lawyer, and there are prescribed child support guidelines with amounts calculated according to your income. For lower incomes with one child, it works out to approximately 10% of your gross income, as your income climbs, the %age amount drops slightly. When you add another child, you typically add 5%, 2 kids: 3% each and so on. I'm generalizing here, but you get the point. The payee is expected to contribute an equal amount monthly to the raising of the child. The payor's amount is calculated based solely on the income of the payor, the payee's living situation does not come into it at all in 95% of cases. The remaining cases are comprised of disabled children (who require more assistance) or seriously marked disparity in income (ie: father has sole custody and makes minimum wage, and mother doesn't work but is married to a millionaire = mother has to pay a substantial contribution). The courts here are also starting to look more favorably towards the roles of fathers and their inherent capacity to give care. As well, child support is calculated completely independently of any alimony. The days of the mother automatically being the best choice are fast dwindling away...
