Committee reviews proposed updates to Washington child support schedule

E.V. Adams, staff to the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, summarized House Bill 1014 on Jan. 15, saying the bill implements recommendations from the Division of Child Support’s quadrennial work group and makes multiple changes to Washington’s child support laws.

The bill would extend the child support economic table from combined monthly net incomes of $1,000–$12,000 up to $50,000, raise the table’s lower floor to $2,200, add a deduction for mandatory state deductions such as state-paid insurance premiums, and specify that mandatory and optional educational expenses are not part of the basic support obligation and instead would be shared by the parents. It would also raise the self-support reserve from 125% to 180% of the federal poverty guideline for a single-person household and create a one-time temporary abatement provision that allows reduction of child support to $50 per month per child for up…