Child support may be awarded pursuant to several Michigan statutes, including the Divorce Act, the Paternity Act (when the child’s parents are not married to each other and the paternity of the child is at issue), and the Family Support Act (FSA) (when the parents are married to each other but have not filed for divorce, or the parents are not married to each other but paternity is acknowledged). These acts are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the family division of the circuit court and are enforceable under the Support and Parenting Time Enforcement Act (SPTEA).
All child support calculations, including for interim orders and requests for modification, must begin with application of the Michigan Child Support Formula. The Michigan formula is based on the needs of the child and the actual resources of each parent. The court must order support in an amount determined by applying the child support formula or may enter a support order that deviates from the formula if application of the formula would be unjust or inappropriate.