Parents must support their children, whether they are married or not. Where the child resides determines who pays support.

In Connecticut, there are child support guidelines that are formulated to be used by courts to determine how much should be paid. These formulas are based on the income of each parent. These guidelines are presumed to be correct unless there is a showing that the amount would be inappropriate under a particular circumstance in a case. Reasons for deviation from the guidelines are, for example, a parent has extraordinary expenses such as travel-related visitation expenses or a high amount of uninsured medical expenses. Although the guidelines will also determine the parent's share of unreimbursed medical expenses and daycare expenses, it will be your responsibility to raise the issue of other expenses that are not determined by the guidelines such as holiday and birthday gifts, birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, first communions, weddings, travel to and from parents' homes if it requires air or train fare, and other school and after-school activities.

Do not think that by quitting your job you can avoid paying child support. Some judges will make a party report to court each week with job searches if it looks like they are not making a reasonable effort to find employment. The Court may also make a determination that a party is earning substantially less than they could through a reasonable effort. Therefore, the Court may consider potential earning capacity rather than actual earnings. In making this determination, the Court shall take into consideration the education, training, and past employment history of the party.