Child support laws have been enacted to ensure that children are provided for after their parents divorce or separate. Because the children are entitled to the same level of care as before the separation, the state requires that the parent who does more of the physical care taking of the child get financial support from the other parent. This is so both parents have some responsibility in providing for the children.A divorced mother or father should be willing to provide financial support for their children through support payments. And, many parents are willing to do this. Unfortunately, there are many cases where the parent who pays support is taken advantage of by the other parent. The other parent may not spend the money on the child, may want more money from the parent because of revenge, may connect the money for support with visitation, etc. The parent who pays child support may pay too much money, not be able to afford the payments, and not get enough time with the child. This shouldn’t happen. In these cases, parents need to know how to lower their child support payments through the parenting time schedule.Now, every state uses different factors when calculating child support. Some states require information about insurance, taxes, other payments, etc and other states don’t ask for that information. However, every state uses one critical factor that affects child support: the amount of parenting time. The states use either the parenting time percentage or the overnight percentage along with the income to determine the amount of support. The more time a parent has with the child, the less support they pay. And, the more time the other parent has with the child, the more support they receive.This means that a parent who wants to lower child support payments should make a parenting time schedule that gives them more time with the child. This can be done by adding an extra night of visitation during the week, adjusting the holiday schedule, adding overnights to the visitation, etc. Because the parent is providing more physical care to the child, they are less responsible for the financial care.Hopefully parents can work out a fair parenting time schedule so that the child support payments are fair. The parents should always focus on what is best for the children and find a way to provide for the child’s needs. One parent shouldn’t have to take sole responsibility for the children, and both parents should actively strive to be involved with the child.