If I have equal parenting time with my child, will I have to pay child support?

Perhaps. A lot of people think that if they share equal parenting time with their children, then neither parent will pay child support. This is often untrue. The child support calculations in Michigan are based on a formula. The formula considers various factors including: income, health insurance, daycare costs, and overnights along with other factors. Even if two parents have the same number of overnights, one parent may in fact pay child support. This usually occurs in cases when one parent makes substantially more money than the other parent

The purpose of the child support formula is to balance the needs and incomes of the parties without impoverishing either party. Therefore, in order to keep the children accustom to the same stand of living in each individual household, child support may be necessary.