• The child support percentages vary depending on the number of children the parents have.Legal Law Justice image by Stacey Alexander from Fotolia.com
  
  U.S. family courts deal with child support matters on a daily basis and the state of Wisconsin is no exception. Both parents have the obligation to support their children financially and medically until they legally turn 18 years old. Multiple children between the parents pose an even greater challenge to which the Wisconsin family court responds by setting up a child support guideline for financial support and health related costs.
  
  

Federal and State Law

• Federal law requires each state to set up a child support guideline to use in developing support amount for each state. Those guidelines must take into consideration the earnings of non-custodial parents, have a specific calculated numeric criteria and provide health care needs to the children by insurance or other means. "Wisconsin law requires courts to order either or both parents of a child to pay an amount reasonable or necessary to fulfill a duty to support the child," according to Child Support Guide in Wisconsin, a guide published by the Wisconsin Legislative Council. The family court published a standard to be used by courts in determining child support obligations. The standard is based on national studies including, "On Measuring the Cost of Children" by Jacques Van der Gaag, as part of the Child Support Project of the Institute for Research on Poverty.
  
  

Calculation of Child Support

• In compliance with the federal law, the State of Wisconsin developed a child support guideline for the parents which calculates the financial responsibility that the non-custodial parent holds for each child. Generally, the percentage amount varies depending on the number of children that parent is obligated to support, according to Child Support Guide in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Administrative Code 40.03 states the percentages of the non-custodial parent follow this calculation: 17 percent for one child, 25 percent for two children, 29 percent for three children, 31 percent for four children and 34 percent for five children or more. The Wisconsin family court waives this standard calculation for low-income and high-income parents.
  
  

Health Care Expenses and Insurance

• The non-custodial parent also has an obligation to meet the needs for health and medical-related costs for the children. According to Child Support Guide in Wisconsin, the family court also takes into consideration the following determination in ordering health related support: whether the child is covered under a parent's health insurance policy or plan at the time of entry of the order, the availability of health insurance to each parent through an employer or other organization, the extent of coverage available for the children and the cost to the parent for coverage. The court can also order a parent to start or continue health insurance coverage for the children.