The Deviation Factors of NRS 125B.080(9)
(This blog series is from excerpts of the article written by Bruce I. Shapiro, a Las Vegas family law attorney with Pecos Law Group, titled “The Lost Factors of NRS 125B.080(9): Deviating From Child Support Guidelines, 12 Nevada Family Law Report 1 (Spring, 1997) and is used with permission of the State Bar of Nevada. The footnotes have been deleted from these excerpts. The full article can be viewed at: [link].
Part 3: Introduction and NRS 125B.080(9)(d)
NRS 125B.080(9)(d). The age of the child. There can be little argument that the cost of supporting a child varies with the child’s age. Raising an infant brings higher expenses which are associated with birthing, formula, diapers, etc. A toddler through pre-teen, however, may involve less expense. But when a child reaches the teens, the costs rise again. Some states have different child support awards for different ages. This, however, has not generally been litigated on a significant basis.
If a child’s parent’s divorce while the child is young, the child support received on behalf of the child may average out over life of child, but parents get divorced when their children are different ages. There is also an obvious relationship between this factor and day care expenses. Our legislature may wish to consider adopting a modified child support formula taking into consideration the specific age of the child.