Amount of payment: Determination. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 425.450:
1. A court of this State shall apply the appropriate formula set forth in NRS 125B.070 to:
(a) Determine the required support in any case involving the support of children.
(b) Any request filed after July 1, 1987, to change the amount of the required support of children.
2. If the parties agree as to the amount of support required, the parties shall certify that the amount of support is consistent with the appropriate formula set forth in NRS 125B.070. If the amount of support deviates from the formula, the parties must stipulate sufficient facts in accordance with subsection 9 which justify the deviation to the court, and the court shall make a written finding thereon. Any inaccuracy or falsification of financial information which results in an inappropriate award of support is grounds for a motion to modify or adjust the award.
3. If the parties disagree as to the amount of the gross monthly income of either party, the court shall determine the amount and may direct either party to furnish financial information or other records, including income tax returns for the preceding 3 years. Once a court has established an obligation for support by reference to a formula set forth in NRS 125B.070, any subsequent modification or adjustment of that support, except for any modification or adjustment made pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 125B.070 or NRS 425.450 or as a result of a review conducted pursuant to subsection 1 of NRS 125B.145, must be based upon changed circumstances.
4. Notwithstanding the formulas set forth in NRS 125B.070, the minimum amount of support that may be awarded by a court in any case is $100 per month per child, unless the court makes a written finding that the obligor is unable to pay the minimum amount. Willful underemployment or unemployment is not a sufficient cause to deviate from the awarding of at least the minimum amount.
5. It is presumed that the basic needs of a child are met by the formulas set forth in NRS 125B.070. This presumption may be rebutted by evidence proving that the needs of a particular child are not met by the applicable formula.
6. If the amount of the awarded support for a child is greater or less than the amount which would be established under the applicable formula, the court shall:
(a) Set forth findings of fact as to the basis for the deviation from the formula; and
(b) Provide in the findings of fact the amount of support that would have been established under the applicable formula.
7. Expenses for health care which are not reimbursed, including expenses for medical, surgical, dental, orthodontic and optical expenses, must be borne equally by both parents in the absence of extraordinary circumstances.
8. If a parent who has an obligation for support is willfully underemployed or unemployed to avoid an obligation for support of a child, that obligation must be based upon the parent’s true potential earning capacity.
9. The court shall consider the following factors when adjusting the amount of support of a child upon specific findings of fact:
(a) The cost of health insurance;
(b) The cost of child care;
(c) Any special educational needs of the child;
(d) The age of the child;
(e) The legal responsibility of the parents for the support of others;
(f) The value of services contributed by either parent;
(g) Any public assistance paid to support the child;
(h) Any expenses reasonably related to the mother’s pregnancy and confinement;
(i) The cost of transportation of the child to and from visitation if the custodial parent moved with the child from the jurisdiction of the court which ordered the support and the noncustodial parent remained;
(j) The amount of time the child spends with each parent;
(k) Any other necessary expenses for the benefit of the child; and
(l) The relative income of both parents.
Last modified: February 25, 2006