The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has recently issued the updates to the Pennsylvania Support Rules and Guidelines, which go into effect on May 12, 2010. The Pennsylvania Support Rules and Guidelines are required to be updated every four years and many times involve only an update to the child support schedule with little or no substantive changes to the rules. This year, however, there are a number of significant changes and in some instances, may have a major effect on the calculation of child or spousal support. Below are some of the more significant changes to the 2010 Amendments to the Pennsylvania Support Guidelines:

1.      The first and potentially most significant change is in the application of the support guidelines to circumstances where the monthly household income is in excess of $20,000. Previously, the child support schedule ended at a combined adjusted net income for the parties at $20,000. The new schedule includes a combined adjusted net income of up to $30,000. Therefore, the basic child support schedule can be used where the parties’ income is up to or equal to $30,000 per month. This should provide some much needed uniformity in calculating support for parties who have a substantial monthly income up to $30,000.Continue Reading 2010 Amendments and Updates to PA Support Calculations and Procedures