Nebraska child support exists to ensure both parents contribute financially to raising their children, regardless of their relationship status. The state has established clear guidelines and procedures that courts follow to determine fair support amounts based on each family's specific circumstances.
This comprehensive guide explains everything Nebraska parents need to know about child support, from how amounts are calculated to how payments are made and what happens when problems arise.
What’s Nebraska Child Support?
Nebraska child support is a court-ordered financial obligation that one parent pays to help cover the costs of raising their children. These payments help ensure children maintain a similar standard of living in both parents' homes after separation or divorce.
The Nebraska child support system operates under guidelines created by the Nebraska Supreme Court. These guidelines provide consistency and fairness across all cases while allowing flexibility for unique family situations.
Child support isn't optional or negotiable without court approval. Once a judge issues a support order, it carries the full force of law. Both parents have legal obligations to support their children financially, and courts take these responsibilities seriously.
Who Qualifies for Child Support
Either parent can receive Nebraska child support depending on custody arrangements and income levels. Typically, the parent with whom children live most of the time receives payments from the other parent.
This system recognizes that the custodial parent already spends money directly on daily expenses like food, housing, and clothing. The non-custodial parent's payments help balance the financial burden of raising children.
Nebraska child support applies to all parents regardless of marital status. Unmarried parents have the same obligations as divorced parents once paternity is legally established and a support order is issued.
Children covered by Nebraska child support include biological children of both parents, legally adopted children, and in some cases, children for whom a parent has assumed legal responsibility. Support continues until each child turns 19, Nebraska's age of majority, unless they marry, become emancipated, or become self-supporting earlier.
How Nebraska Calculates Support Amounts
Nebraska uses the Income Shares Model to calculate child support amounts. This approach is based on research showing how much two-parent families typically spend on children at various income levels.
The calculation considers the income of both parents combined, then divides the support obligation between them proportionally. If one parent earns 70 percent of the combined income, that parent pays 70 percent of the total support obligation.
Income Calculation
The first step involves determining each parent's gross monthly income from all sources. This includes wages and salaries, bonuses and commissions, overtime pay, self-employment income, unemployment benefits, disability payments, Social Security benefits, retirement income, and investment earnings.
Certain deductions are then subtracted to reach net income. Allowed deductions include federal and state income taxes, Social Security contributions or self-employment tax, retirement contributions up to 4 percent, health insurance costs for the parent (limited to 5 percent of gross income), and child support already being paid for other children.
Using the Guidelines
After calculating both parents' net incomes, the court adds them together and consults Table 1 in the Nebraska child support guidelines. This table shows recommended support amounts based on combined income and number of children.
For example, if combined monthly net income is $4,000 and there are two children, the table shows a basic support obligation of $1,088. If one parent earns $3,000 (75 percent) and the other earns $1,000 (25 percent), the first parent owes $816 while the second owes $272.
The parent with less parenting time typically makes payments to the other parent. Additional expenses like health insurance premiums and childcare costs are added to the basic amount and divided between parents based on their income percentages.
Additional Expenses in Child Support
Basic Nebraska child support payments cover fundamental living expenses, but several additional costs are addressed separately in support orders.
Health Insurance and Medical Expenses
Nebraska requires parents to provide health insurance for children when it's available at reasonable cost through an employer. Insurance is considered reasonable if it costs no more than 5 percent of the responsible parent's gross income.
The cost of adding children to health insurance is prorated between parents based on their income percentages. The parent paying premiums receives credit for their share against other support obligations.
Beyond insurance, the Nebraska child support guidelines include up to $250 per child per year for basic uninsured medical expenses. All reasonable costs exceeding this amount must be shared by parents in proportion to their incomes.
Childcare Expenses
Work-related or education-related childcare costs are substantial expenses that many families face. Nebraska child support orders address these costs separately from basic support.
Each parent pays a percentage of net childcare expenses based on their share of total income. The federal childcare tax credit value is subtracted from actual costs to determine the net amount parents must share.
Parents must provide documentation showing childcare was necessary for employment or education and must submit receipts to receive reimbursement from the other parent.
Establishing a Child Support Order
Getting a formal Nebraska child support order in place protects both parents and ensures children receive consistent financial support.
Through Divorce Proceedings
Most Nebraska child support orders are established during divorce cases. The divorce decree includes provisions specifying child support amounts, payment schedules, and additional responsibilities.
Both parents must provide complete financial disclosure including tax returns, pay stubs, and documentation of all income and deductions. The court uses this information with the guidelines to calculate appropriate support.
Through Child Support Enforcement
Parents don't need to file for divorce to establish child support. The Department of Health and Human Services operates a Child Support Enforcement program that helps establish orders independently.
You can apply online or complete a paper application. Child Support Enforcement works with the county attorney to file a complaint in district court requesting a support order.
The court schedules a hearing where both parents present financial information. The judge then issues an order specifying support amounts and payment terms.
Paternity Establishment
For unmarried parents, legal paternity must be established before child support can be ordered. This can happen through voluntary acknowledgment when both parents sign a form at the hospital, genetic testing when paternity is disputed, or court determination when one parent denies paternity.
Once paternity is legally established, Nebraska child support can be calculated and ordered using the same process as for married parents.
Making Child Support Payments
How you make Nebraska child support payments matters significantly. Proper payment methods ensure you get credit for all amounts paid and create an official record.
Payment Methods
The State Disbursement Unit in Lincoln processes all Nebraska child support payments. Several payment methods are available including income withholding automatically deducted from paychecks, online payments through the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center website, check or money order mailed with payment coupons, and credit or debit card payments online or in person.
Eight self-service kiosk locations throughout Nebraska also accept cash, checks, money orders, and card payments. These kiosks provide convenient walk-up payment options.
Income Withholding
Income withholding is the most effective payment method. The court orders your employer to automatically deduct Nebraska child support from your wages and send it directly to the payment center.
This automatic system ensures consistent, timely payments without requiring manual effort each month. Employers must comply with withholding orders, and most Nebraska child support cases include automatic income withholding.
Direct Payments Warning
Never pay Nebraska child support directly to the other parent unless your court order specifically allows it. Payments made outside the official system may not be properly credited toward your obligation.
Even if the other parent agrees to accept direct payment, you risk later disputes about whether payments were made. Always use official payment channels to protect yourself.
Payment Records
The State Disbursement Unit maintains detailed records of all payments. Both parents can access payment history online or by calling the payment center at 877-631-9973.
These records show when payments were made, how much was paid, how payments were applied to current support versus arrears, and what balance remains owed. Keep your own records as backup including payment confirmations, bank statements, and copies of checks or money orders.
Enforcing Child Support Orders
When Nebraska child support isn't paid as ordered, several enforcement mechanisms help collect owed amounts and encourage compliance.
Child Support Enforcement Services
The Department of Health and Human Services provides enforcement services at no cost to help collect unpaid support. Services are available whether or not you receive public assistance.
Contact Child Support Enforcement immediately if payments stop or become irregular. Don't wait months or years, as delays make collection more difficult and allow debts to grow larger.
Enforcement Tools
Nebraska uses various methods to enforce child support orders:
- Income withholding that automatically deducts support from wages
- Tax refund intercepts that capture federal and state refunds when support is past due
- License suspension affecting driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses
- Credit reporting that damages the non-paying parent's credit score
- Passport denial preventing international travel when arrears exceed $2,500
- Property liens placed on real estate owned by the non-paying parent
- Bank account seizures taking funds directly from financial accounts
Contempt of Court
When other enforcement methods don't work, the custodial parent can file a contempt action. Contempt is serious and can result in jail time for the non-paying parent.
You must file an Affidavit and Application for Order to Show Cause explaining how the other parent violated the support order. The court issues an Order to Show Cause requiring them to appear and explain their non-payment.
At the hearing, you present evidence of non-payment, typically including certified payment records. If the judge finds contempt, they impose a jail sentence but usually suspend it on condition the parent follows a purge plan with specific payment requirements.
Modifying Child Support
Life circumstances change, and Nebraska allows child support orders to be modified when significant changes occur.
When Modification Is Appropriate
You can request modification of Nebraska child support when applying current guidelines would change the amount by at least 10 percent and at least $25. The changed circumstances must have lasted three months and be expected to continue at least six more months.
Common reasons for modification include significant income changes for either parent, changes in parenting time affecting each parent's expenses, changes in health insurance availability or cost, changes in childcare expenses, and additional children born or adopted by either parent.
Filing for Modification
File a motion with the court that issued the original order. Both parents must provide updated financial information and complete new child support worksheets showing current circumstances.
The Department of Health and Human Services can review orders every three years upon request. If applying current guidelines would change the amount by the required percentage, they help you file for modification.
You must continue paying the current ordered amount until the court officially changes it. Simply reducing payments on your own violates the existing order and creates arrears.
Special Circumstances
Certain situations create unique considerations for Nebraska child support.
Multiple Families
If you have children with multiple partners, you may have several support orders. Nebraska law prevents double-counting by allowing you to deduct support already being paid for other children before calculating support for additional children.
However, having new children after an order is established doesn't automatically reduce what you owe under existing orders. New children can be a reason courts deny requests to increase existing support but won't justify decreasing it.
Public Assistance Cases
When a custodial parent receives certain public assistance benefits, the state may have an interest in the Nebraska child support order. Support payments may go to the state to reimburse assistance costs.
Beginning in 2027, Nebraska will allow custodial parents to keep a portion of support payments even when receiving public assistance. The state has enforcement authority in these cases and can take action to collect support.
Parents in Different States
When parents live in different states, Nebraska child support orders remain enforceable through the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. This uniform law coordinates support matters across state lines.
If you live in Nebraska and the other parent lives elsewhere, your Nebraska child support order can be enforced in other states. Child Support Enforcement coordinates with other states to locate parents and collect support.
Getting Help With Child Support
Nebraska offers several resources to help parents navigate the child support system.
Child Support Enforcement
The Department of Health and Human Services provides comprehensive services including locating parents who can't be found, establishing paternity when it hasn't been legally determined, establishing and modifying support orders, and enforcing orders when payments aren't made.
These services are available at no cost. Contact Child Support Enforcement at 877-631-9973 or apply online through the department's website.
Legal Assistance
Consider hiring a family law attorney when establishing initial support orders, especially if complex income or custody issues are involved, modifying existing orders when significant disputes exist, or dealing with enforcement problems including contempt actions.
Legal Aid of Nebraska provides free or low-cost services to qualifying low-income individuals. Contact them to determine if you're eligible for assistance.
Self-Help Resources
The Nebraska Judicial Branch website offers self-help resources including forms, instructions, and worksheets for child support matters. These resources can help you understand procedures and complete necessary documents.
District court clerks can provide limited information about procedures and forms but cannot give legal advice. They can explain how to file documents and what the general process involves.
Protecting Your Children's Future
Nebraska child support exists for one purpose: ensuring children receive financial support from both parents. Whether you pay or receive support, understanding how the system works helps you navigate it effectively.
Take your obligations seriously. Pay on time and in full if you're the paying parent. If you're owed support, take action when payments stop. Use official payment channels, keep detailed records, and seek help when you need it.
Child support calculations consider each family's unique circumstances to determine fair amounts. The guidelines provide structure and consistency while allowing flexibility for special situations. Courts can deviate from guidelines when applying them would be unfair.
Life changes, and support orders can be modified when circumstances warrant. Don't suffer in silence if your financial situation has changed significantly. File for modification rather than simply stopping payment.
Nebraska provides resources to help parents establish, pay, and collect child support. Child Support Enforcement offers free services to locate parents, establish paternity, set up orders, and collect unpaid support. Use these resources when you need assistance.
Remember that Nebraska child support benefits children by ensuring they receive financial contributions from both parents. By understanding the system and working within it, you help provide stability and support for your children's well-being throughout their childhood.