The 2017 Michigan Child Support Formula Manual (“MCSFM”)
The last time the Michigan Child Support Formula Manual was updated was 2013. The major changes to the 2017 Michigan Child Support Formula Manual are set forth on pages “i” and “ii” and are restated below.
- The phrase “Extraordinary medical” was changed to “additional medical” and “third party custodian” was changed to “nonparent custodian in an effort to reconcile the plain meaning of the phrases.
- 1.04(E) High-income deviation factor removed and a new cost-benefit deviation factor added.
- 2.01(C)(4) Service member housing pay changed.
- 2.01(C) 2.07 Employer contributions to pension or retirement plans removed from the income section. Deduction for voluntary contributions to pension or retirement plans eliminated.
- 2.01(D) 2.07(G) Employer reimbursements for tuition, educational costs, uniforms and payments to health savings accounts do not count as income.
- 2.01(E)(4) Allowable deductions for taxes for self-employed and business owners/executives clarified.
- 2.01(G) Imputation factors (f) and (i) amended. New subsection (4) covering barred practices that violate case law added.
- 2.01(I) 2.01(J) Dependent benefit provisions expanded to include benefits paid on a parent’s behalf from other government insurance programs in the same manner as Social Security Benefits.
- 2.01(k) New subsection on children’s dependent benefits based on parents’ earnings records added
- 2.01(M) 2.07(G) Employer reimbursements of expenses clarified and new subsection added.
- 2.07(F) Deduction for a parent’s cost for mandatory health care coverage added.
- 3.02(B)(4) 3.02(E) General Care Equation calculation clarified for high income cases. New subsection about Extremely High Family Income added.
- 3.03 Parental Time Offset Equation exponent reduced to 2.5.
- 3.04 New provision added to include two exceptions when a court may permit handling all medical expenses as “additional medical expenses.”
- 3.04(D) Threshold for enforcing medical expenses under MCL 552.511a added.
- 3.05 Reasonable cost increased to 6% and clarified how cost is figured. Restriction to routinely requiring that both parents maintain coverage added. Provisions allowing coverage through a family member’s insurance and dividing premiums added.
- 3.07 Benefit Credit for amounts paid for the children on a parent’s behalf expanded from Social Security to include other government insurance programs. Warning about alienating federal benefits from a child’s representative payee added.
- S-3.02 Section and criteria used to determine which parent should maintain health care coverage changed to consider the Affordable Care Act.
- S-3.03 Adjusting Support Payments for Parenting Time section added.
The 2017 Michigan Child Support Formula Manual becomes effective January 1, 2017. You can verify that you are using the most current Michigan Child Support Formula Manual by visiting the Michigan Child Support Formula Manual’s official website.
In the coming weeks, we will be discussing the major changes to the Michigan Child Support Formula Manual.
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By: Daniel Findling
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