New year, new you, new child support formula manual. Unlike your new year’s resolutions, the 2025 Michigan Child Support Formula (MCSF) manual must be adhered to for the next four years until another version is ushered in.
Nothing earth shattering has been changed in the 2025 version, although several things are worth mentioning. The annual ordinary medical amount that the payee of support must pay first before unreimbursed health care costs for the children are divided between the parties has actually been reduced. Prior formulas only increased the minimum amount the payee had to spend before the percentage split kicked in. However, the 2025 MCSF lowered the amount from $454 per year per child to $200 per year per child. The new manual emphasizes that the payer of support pre-pays his or her percentage as part of the monthly support amount – while this is not new, clarification is helpful. Uninsured health care costs for the children incurred by both the recipient and payer of support are subject to division.
Day care costs
also have a new expiration date. The prior formula provided that child care
costs could be included until August 31st following the child’s 12th
birthday. Now, child care continues until the last day of the month that the
child is under the age of 13. Of course, a court can extend the child care
expiration date should it be necessary to do so for that specific case and
child.
If a parent is
incurring costs associated with his or her incarceration or conviction, those
recurring payments can be deducted when calculating child support. This does
not apply if the crime was failure to support children, or committed against
the children in the case (or their sibling), the other parent or custodian.
Along with a
new formula comes updated SCAO forms – be sure to use the most recent Uniform
Child Support Orders and Deviation Addendum when submitting your support orders
to the court. The Friend of the Court approval process should catch if an old
form has been used, but it’s always easier to have it right the first time.
Sticking with
the 2025 MCSF manual is easy because you don’t have a choice – good luck with
the rest of your resolutions.
