Abstract
This study ascertained which of 371 fathers (either court-ordered to pay child support directly to the custodial parent or through a child support enforcement services agency) benefited from decisions regarding the use of presumptive child support guidelines. Chi-square tests and a logistic regression show that former fathers with higher incomes ($3,000+ monthly) were granted a downward departure from the guidelines. However, for the courts to let these fathers “off the hook” by reducing their child support obligations, they had to be willing to make up for the lower payments by increasing the post-divorce quality of life of their children and, when financially warranted, former spouses in other more meaningful ways. Mothers in these cases were at a greater financial disadvantage than their counterparts who had court orders to go through the agency for their child support payments.
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